Alien Species
by Malkalypse
Summary: Weyland Yutani has duplicated the result of an old experiment, and plans to use her to eliminate a hive of deadly aliens. But will the solution be worse than the problem?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"We generally run the test twice. The first run should be as close to immediately after obtaining the blood as possible. The second run should be about ninety minutes later." Geoff watched Matt place the vial in the cytometer and make several selections on a touch screen. The vial began to drain, accompanied by the universal machine hum of lab equipment.

"Why twice?" Geoff asked.

"Well, how much do you know about the subject?"

"Not a whole lot," he admitted.

"That's okay. They keep a lot of things on this station need-to-know. I'm not really supposed to know any more than you do, but it's impossible to work in a place like this without picking things up." Matt paused as the vial finished emptying. Seconds later, a list of numbers appeared on screen. Matt made several touch gestures and flipped the data through several different graph visualizations.

"Anyway," he continued, "the subject's name is Lilith. She's an artificial life form."

"What, like an android?"

"No, not like an android. Lilith is biological, grown using alien technology, apparently. The process is based on a series of experiments that took place on Earth over two hundred years ago, but were abandoned for various reasons. Some of her DNA is human, but the human DNA is more like a camouflage for her real DNA. Take a look at these numbers and tell me what you see."

Geoff duplicated Matt's gestures from earlier and looked at the graphs. "Um… looks normal to me. Actually, it looks suspiciously normal, like a textbook example of someone in perfect health."

Matt nodded and gave him a tight smile, and put another file up on the touchscreen. "These are yesterday's test results from the second run." He gave Geoff a moment to look over the data.

"What the fuck?"

"Yeah, that was my reaction the first time I saw it. We have no idea where these proteins come from, or how they hide on the first run tests. Some we can't even identify. Come on, you should get a first-hand look at the subject. Well, on a screen anyway." Geoff followed as Matt led him down the corridor. "They keep her under twenty four hour surveillance, streaming the video to monitor rooms throughout the station. I wish I could work in one of those. It doesn't pay as much, but… well, you'll see what I mean in a second."

They walked in the door, and found a burly, serious looking man sitting in front of a wall of screens. He turned his chair slightly and looked behind him. Matt waved.

"Hey, Greg. Just showing the new guy around." Greg nodded and turned back to the screens. They all showed different views of the same apartment. Geoff's first impression was of a stakeout; apparently a stakeout on a supermodel, as the woman in the apartment certainly fit that description.

She looked to be in her late teens or very early twenties. She had blonde hair, full lips, and an hourglass figure. Her eyebrows furrowed over blue eyes as she stared intently at a computer monitor, and for a brief moment her tongue absently traced her upper lip. She leaned forward to get a closer look at something, but none of the screens on the wall showed what.

"Wow, she's… hot," said Geoff.

"Yeah, she's hot," Matt agreed. "Engineered to be perfect in every way, apparently. But don't get your hopes up. They generally keep her away from human males. That's not for her protection, incidentally, as much as for ours. I heard that at one point they did catch an unauthorized employee making out with her. He was tasered and sent off to work on some backwater colony world."

Geoff stared at the woman on the screen, trying to wrap his mind around everything he'd been told. Just what had he gotten himself into?

**Chapter 1**

_She took the man's stirring cock past her lips, swirling her tongue around as it grew in size and firmness, until it was fully erect. He grabbed fistfuls of her hair and began to force it down into her throat; her eyes watered, and she visibly fought back the gagging sensation. When he finally withdrew his saliva-coated cock from her mouth, she took a moment to catch her breath, then turned and presented him with her backside. He gave her ass several playful slaps before kneading the twin globes in his hands, then positioned himself for penetration._

Lilith's attention was abruptly torn from the video when she heard the latch on her door unlock. She quickly shut the program down, then took several slow, deep breaths to try and compose herself. The door opened to reveal a man of about forty. He wore the same white lab coat as all of the station's personnel, but unlike most his was pristine and fit him perfectly, and he stood with a bearing of unquestionable authority. Lilth's face broke into a wide grin, then she ran across the room and threw her arms around him.

"Reggie!" she squealed.

Reginald Algard, head of the Weyland Yutani genetics division, momentarily returned her embrace, then struggled to politely extricate himelf from her deceptively strong grip. He wondered idly about Lilith's sense of time; he checked in on her every day, and every day she acted like she had not seem him in ages. But then, he reminded himself, regardless of her appearance and advanced mental capacity she was really only three months old.

"Hello, my dear. Have you been staying out of trouble?" he asked. Lilith finally released him and took a step back, wearing an obvious pout.

"I never have any chances to get into trouble!" she complained. "I'm stuck in the apartment all day, except when they take me out to run tests on me. I get lonely." She once again leaned up against Algard, pressing the side of her head against his chest. Algard stood uncertainly for a moment before awkwardly patting Liliths's shoulder.

"You have a lot of friends on the station you can talk to. And you know that Olivia is always available to…"

"That's not what I mean," she interrupted. "I'd be much happier if you could stay here with me. And I'm sure that I could make you happy too." Algard suddenly realized that her voice had dropped to a quiet murmur with this last assertion, that Lilith was practically whispering into his ear.

This time Algard was the one to take a step back. He straightened his collar and regarded the young woman staring back at him. She had made a number of attempts to seduce him, and he supposed it was inevitable that she would. All the information on the original SIL program indicated that the hybrids possessed a heightened mating instinct. For this reason, Algard was one of the few men on the station who was allowed to have contact with Lilith. The staff psychologists said she should have a human authority figure to imprint on, and he was the obvious choice. During the first weeks of her life, he was every bit a father figure to her, but once she reached physical maturity that relationship began to change.

Algard sighed, and shook his head to clear it. Today there were more pressing concerns than Lilith's overtures to him.

"I understand that you feel confined here," he said. "That's only natural. But you know it's been necessary, and you know why."

She looked like she wanted to object, but finally looked down and nodded. She knew that she was a potential threat to humans. They told her what had happened with the SILs on Earth.

"What if I told you that something terrible had happened, and that you might be able to help?" he asked her. She saw him looking down, trying to hide the worry in his eyes. "It would mean leaving the station, and getting to see a real planet with people living on it. But it would also be very dangerous, even for you."

Lilith paused for a moment to consider. Her heart leapt at the chance to get out among people and see a wider world, but Reggie's warning made her nervous. In the course of her life on the station she had been cut open a number of times, for tissue samples and other tests. While the sensation was not pleasant, she always healed within moments, and had come to take her invulnerability for granted. If something could pose a threat even to herself, it must be truly terrifying.

"Tell me more," she said.

Algard sighed, though he was not sure if it was relief or resignation that he felt. Quite possibly both. While he ran the genetics division with absolute authority, even Reginald Algard was beholden to the head office. His research was expected to produce useful results for the Company. Now the Company had a problem, and they believed that his latest project offered a possible solution.

"It involves a particular species of alien lifeform," he began. "The Company has had several run ins with it in the past. Although not intelligent, as far as we can tell, it has proven to be extremely adaptable and particularly deadly. The first record we have of an outbreak dates to a small mining colony in the Zeta Reticuli system. Within three weeks the aliens had wiped out the entire settlement, and the team of marines who were sent in as a rescue party. There are some indications of prior encounters, but nothing definite. The creatures breed using other species as hosts for their young, and rapidly mature into biological killing machines."

Lilith listened with rapt attention and growing horror as Algard described the alien creatures, and Weyland Yutani's history with them. He paused to retrieve his com panel from his breast pocket. "I'll forward you all the information we have available; please familiarize yourself with the material."

He tapped a quick sequence on the device that resulted in a notification on the screen next to her. As she opened the files, scanning rapidly through images and text, Algard continued.

"The aliens have turned up again, this time on a planet of significant interest to the Company. Right now there's only a single small hive, in a relatively isolated area. The Colonial Marines have a platoon on standby, but before sending them into harm's way, my superiors would like to try a different approach." He paused.

Lilith was still taking in everything Reggie said, but was transfixed by the images in front of her. The creatures were indeed frightening to look at, their form well suited to their savage function. But there was also something mesmerizing about them, something that seemed to resonate within her. She suddenly realized that Reggie was waiting for her to look up, and managed to tear her eyes from the screen.

"I can't think of a more tactful way to put this, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. They want you to destroy the hive."

Lilith blinked. "They what?"

"You're stronger and more agile than a human; more intelligent, even. You seem to heal from anything." The corner of Algard's mouth twitched in a slight smirk. "I think the Company board have gotten it into their heads that you're some kind of superhero. I can't really say that they're wrong."

"What's a superhero?" she asked numbly.

"The fact is, I've told them a lot of good things about you, so they have high expectations. You represent a considerable allocation of Company resources. They want to see what you can do, to know they're getting a return on their investment." He leaned forward and gently gripped her shoulders, looking directly into her eyes.

"Listen to me, dear," he said softly, "You don't have to do go, not if you don't want to. The marines are prepared to move in on a moment's notice. I know you're capable of doing this thing, but I made it clear to my superiors that it's your choice, and I won't be disappointed if you say no. Frankly, these things terrify me, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Lilith took a moment to consider everything she'd been told. The aliens were definitely scary, but she felt an undeniable thrill at the notion of facing the creatures, testing herself against them; Lilith could be scary too, when she wanted. She was actually more nervous about leaving the station. Despite her loneliness, this was her home, and she had never been away from it. Still, she desperately wanted a taste of freedom, no matter how artificial or temporary it might be. Most importantly, there was Reggie to consider. Despite his words, she knew it would reflect badly on him if she refused to go, and she didn't want to let him down. If she killed the aliens, if she could impress Reggie with her good work, then just maybe he would stop rejecting her advances.

Algard watched Lilith as she thought through her decision, feeling torn. If she succeeded in this mission, it would vindicate all his efforts to date, paving the way to a future of breakthrough research. But despite all his efforts to the contrary, he had become quite attached to her, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to deny the physical attraction between them. If she were somehow to be hurt or even killed, he was not sure he could handle it.

"I'll do it," she finally said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Once Lilith had made her decision, it was a flurry of activity getting her ready. She had been run through a course of weapons and combat training, courtesy of a former special forces lieutenant. The course normally took four weeks; she was able to outperform her instructor, across the board, within three hours. She became an expert on the alien creatures, what some of the files referred to as xenomorphs, learning everything that was known about their strengths and weaknesses, physical structure, and behavior.

Lastly, her DNA was modified so she would be able to emulate xenomorph pheremones, and thereby fool the creatures into thinking she was one of them. Previous testing on the aliens had yielded some useful information, such as how to move freely through a hive without being recognized as an intruder. Of course, this would work only so long as she did not draw attention to herself.

The trip itself was fairly uneventful. The station had disappeared almost instantly behind them, and after that there was absolutely no sense of motion. Although they were hurtling through the galaxy at at an incredible speed, the stars hung lazily in place. Lilith suddenly realized there was absolutely nothing in any direction for trillions of miles, and felt a chill down her spine. She turned and ran from the rear observation deck, and in her disoriented state immediately crashed into what felt like a cushioned pillar. Before she could fall backward, she was caught in lean, strong arms. Lilith looked upward and saw a gentle face surrounded by close-cropped platinum hair looking back down at her.

"Is everything okay?" Olivia asked.

"Sorry, I don't know what happened," Lilith said. "I just panicked suddenly."

Olivia nodded in understanding. "It's your first time in space, after all," she said, "It can be a little overwhelming."

Lilith had known Olivia almost as long as she had known Reggie. She had never been allowed outside her room without the taller woman present. Olivia was many things to Lilith: companion, bodyguard, confidant. Both Reggie and Olivia would be travelling with her as far as the station orbiting Xanadu. Reggie would remain there while Olivia would accompany her planetside. Lilith embraced Olivia back, glad to have someone to hold close to in the deep of space. She would have preferred Reggie, but Olivia would do.

"What do you know about Xanadu?" Lilith finally asked. She already knew quite a bit from Reggie's files, but she wanted Olivia's perspective. Besides which, she hoped that her friend's voice would help calm her nerves.

"Well, it's an Earth-like planet," Olivia began. "I know you haven't actually been to Earth, but our station's atmosphere, gravity, and twenty-four hour day cycles are all based on Earth's. The gravity on Xanadu is a little higher, offset by a slightly more oxygen-rich atmosphere. Days are shorter too, just over seventeen hours."

"Wow, that is short. Can humans really adjust to that?"

"Give us a little credit!" Olivia laughed. "Actually, when the planet was first settled, they planned to operate on day-and-a-half cycles, but that was abandoned pretty quickly. People seem to like the shorter work days, even if there are more of them. Anyway, the planet has native wildlife, which has developed a typical ecosystem of predator and prey relationships, but nothing that would pose a threat to humans. Well, armed humans, at any rate.

"More important to the Company is the local flora. Specifically, there's a type of proto-grain that can be processed into an incredibly efficient biofuel. All attempts to cultivate the grain on other planets have been unsuccessful, but it grows wild all over Xanadu. Some combination of the soil composition, solar radiation, or other factors, I guess. At regular intervals, refined fuel is taken to a way station in a geosynchronous orbit, and from there shuttles transport it throughout human-controlled space."

"So is everyone who lives on the planet involved in the harvesting?"

"Oh, definitely not. I mean, I'm sure it must have been like that early on, but humans bring industry and commerce with them wherever they go." Olivia grinned wryly. "I think once a population reaches a critical mass, people start to demand shopping malls."

Shopping malls. Lilith was familiar with them from the some of the movies she'd watched; places where thousands of people milled about in groups, talking and laughing, buying various products, trying on clothes, eating at food courts. It looked so exciting!

"Do you think I'll be able to go shopping?" Lilith asked.

Olivia stiffened for a moment. Setting her charge loose in an unstructured environment with a large number of people would make it quite difficult for Olivia to do her job, especially considering that some of the people would inevitably be male. But she could see the longing in her Lilith's eyes, and it was really such a small thing to ask, especially given the enormity of the task that had been set before her. She sighed.

"After you destroy the nest, I will do everything I can to make it happen," Olivia said. "I can't make any promises!" she quickly added, seeing the excitement on Lilith's face.

"But I can." Startled, Olivia and Lilith both turned to find Reginald Algard standing just outside the door. "I know you've wanted to get out among people, and I have enough pull to make that a reality. Besides, once you've killed the aliens, the board will be tripping all over themselves to show their appreciation."

Lilith grabbed Algard's hands in her own, practically jumping up and down.

"Oh, Reggie, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Olivia felt a twinge of jealousy. She knew, and had accepted, that Lilith would never love her the way she did Algard, but she resented him stepping in like that, especially since it would be her responsibility to keep things from getting out of hand. Still, there was nothing she could do about it, and it wasn't her place or her nature to complain. At any rate, Lilith was happy, and that was the important thing; her terror from earlier was gone, and she had been given something to look forward to.

_Everywhere there was desolation, not a sound to be heard except a near-subliminal hissing. The buildings had been repurposed as part of the hive, their inhabitants as incubators for alien young. The bodies of those who resisted their fate were scattered, half eaten, along hallways. The struggle was over, and the humans had lost._

_For now there was stillness; the drones were curled in restful hibernation. A few of their number had been sent out into the world, to explore underground passages and fields of tall grass, ever searching for a new prey population. There were more of the human creatures on this world, the Queen was certain of it. She could feel them in the distance in their countless numbers. Soon Her drones would find them and She would be able to breed once again, to populate this world with Her children._

Lilith woke with a start. Where was she?

"We're almost there," came Olivia's voice. Lilith turned her head and looked around. She found herself sprawled on a sofa that was actually quite comfortable, although it didn't look it. Olivia was sitting at a table, looking at something on her com panel.

"When did I fall alseep?" Lilith murmured. "I had a dream. Something about the creatures. It's gone now."

"What was that, now?"

"Nothing. I can't remember." Lilith put her feet on the floor, stood, and stretched. She could feel the ship dumping momentum, and presumed they were nearing the way station.

"From one artificial satellite to another," Olivia sighed. "Don't worry though, we're just here to drop Reginald off. We'll both be standing on a real planet in a matter of hours."

"Reggie! Where is he?"

"He's preparing to disembark. You still have some time, I know you want to see him."

She brought Lilith to Algard, who quietly gave her words of reassurance and encouragement. It was nothing Lilith hadn't heard before, but she was happy just to listen to his voice. Something about it both soothed and excited her. His concern for her was so genuine, and she knew that despite his constant protests, that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

"Reggie," she quietly interrupted, "There are no cameras watching us here, and we have some time before we have to part ways." She leaned up against him, making sure he could feel her full breasts pressing up against his ribcage. "Maybe you can find something for Olivia to do, and we can be alone together. Please, Reggie. I've always been a good girl for you, won't you give me what I need?"

Algard stood perfectly still and said nothing. She wished that he would kiss her, grope her, tear off her clothes, but at least he wasn't pushing her away.

"Please," she implored him, "I won't see you again until all this is over. I'll be down on the planet and you'll be up here; we've never been that far away from each other before. Let me hold you close while I can, let me feel you inside me. Let me have that to take with me while we're apart. No one will ever know."

"My dear, dear Lilith," he whispered. "You know that I would. If there were any possible way, I would. But there isn't, and you know that as well as I do. Do you really think we could keep a secret like that? From the Company? I'd lose my job and my license to practice medicine. They'd probably lock me away, and even if they didn't I guarantee you would never see me again. I know you don't want any of that to happen, but it would."

She shut her eyes tightly, and held back a sob, then finally released Reggie.

"It's not fair," she said.

"No, it isn't," he agreed. "But I do love you, Lilith, and it's for that reason that I want to protect you and look after your best interests. That's why I insisted on coming this far with you. I'll be watching over you from the satellite control room every step of the way."

Olivia watched the two of them discreetly, understanding Lilith's pain all too well. How she wished that Lilith would cling to her as she did to Algard.

When Lilith had first reached sexual maturity, Olivia listened sympathetically while her charge related her fantasies involving her primary creator and erstwhile father figure, often in vivid and graphic detail. Though she had never been attracted to a man herself, Olivia was overwhelmed by the power of Lilith's desire, and began to secretly nurture fantasies of her own; fantasies in which she and Lilith could escape to some new world together. Dutifully following protocol, Olivia had gently admonished her charge, all the while hating herself for a hypocrite.

As time passed, Lilith spoke less and less of her yearning for Algard, but never for a moment was Olivia fooled into thinking that yearning had in any way diminished. And as Lilith watched Algard leave, with face and hands pressed against the glass of the airlock, Olivia's heart ached.

Lilith felt a hand on her shoulder.

"The station follows a geosynchronous orbit," Olivia said gently. "Reggie will be directly above us the entire time we're on Xanadu." Lilith sighed.

As the ship made its descent, they watched from the observation deck as the black of space gave way to the blue of daylight sky; the change in scenery did much to improve their spirits. Olivia remembered reading about the effects of long term deprivation of natural light on emotional stability. The station on which she and Lilith lived kept to a cycle of light and darkness based on Earth's rotation, and optimal levels of ultraviolet radiation were maintained.

And yet, this strange sun in an alien sky made her feel as if she had come home for the first time in many years.

Even Lilith, a half-alien construct who had never been to Earth, was visibly comforted by the daylight. Her eyes lit up when they passed through the cloud cover, man-made structures distinctly visible on the ground. By the time they set down in the landing bay, she was trembling with anticipation of her first steps on the surface of a real planet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Miguel was worried, almost as much by what he had not been told as by what he had. And that was something, considering what he had been told.

There were xenomorphs on Xanadu. How the hell anyone could let something like that happen, he didn't know. This wasn't some asteroid with a manufactured atmosphere; Xanadu was the cornerstone of Weyland Yutani's new energy program. It seemed a highly improbable coincidence for the aliens to just end up here by chance. Much more likely it was sabotage by a competing department, or even another company. But all traffic to and from the planet was carefully scrutinized, so someone made a very bad mistake. Regardless of how it happened, the xenomorphs were here now. So far they were limited to an isolated hive in Sector 7, but that wouldn't last.

That was what Miguel had been told. There was a platoon of Marines in orbit, with two dropships already on the ground. Miguel had been told that too. What he hadn't been told was what they were waiting for, why the order hadn't been given to exterminate the xenomorphs.

And then there was the offworld shuttle he had been told to expect; Miguel had been ordered to drop everything else to prepare for its arrival. Nobody would tell him why, but that was nothing new or surprising. Never mind that he was responsible for running an entire planet, Miguel wasn't part of the corporate chain of command. Now that the shuttle had landed, maybe he would finally get some answers.

He walked out into the landing bay, and waited for the shuttle's landing ramp to descend. At his side was Cynthia, Miguel's second-in-command. Cynthia was one of Weyland Yutani's general purpose androids, who had been instrumental in the construction phase of Alpha Station, and had elected to stay on afterward as assistant operations manager.

As the offworld shuttle's passengers made their way down the ramp, Miguel's first impression was of a porn star escorted by an amazon. Definitely not what he had imagined. Based on the secrecy surrounding the shuttle and the current state of emergency, he had expected special forces soldiers or maybe some high ranking representative from the Company. The tall one had the look of someone with a possible military background, but the other girl was an enigma. A very attractive enigma, he couldn't help but notice. He realized he had been staring, and glanced over to Cynthia with a sheepish grin. She smiled and shook her head.

Back when Alpha Station was still a framework of pipes and nanosteel girders, Miguel had fallen hard for the android, much to the chagrin of the station's female personnel. To the surprise of some, she returned his affections in kind, and a more than professional relationship developed between them. It was generally understood that androids were capable of sex; there were models built specifically for that purpose, after all. But there was more to their bond than that, or they could not have lasted together for as long as they had.

Numerous attempts had been made to steal Miguel away from Cynthia by her flesh and blood counterparts, always without success. True, there had been brief encounters with other women over the years, but he always returned to Cynthia in the end. For her part, she accepted his occasional dalliances without much concern. Miguel was simply a ladies' man, and it seemed that jealousy was not a part of her programming.

Despite Cynthia's forgiving nature, Miguel did his very best not to stray. So as the captivating young woman approached, he tried to maintain his composure, to think about anything other than getting her between his sheets. But he was finding that uncomfortably difficult, especially since she was looking at him like a delicious steak dinner. He decided he needed to take control of the situation as quickly as possible.

"Hello and welcome to Alpha Station. My name is Miguel. I've been given orders to provide you with any information you require, and accommodate you in every way possible. But before I do that, maybe you can provide me with some information that I require first. Namely, who the hell are you two, and what are you doing on Xanadu?"

"I'm here to kill xenomorphs and go shopping," said the blonde.

The tall woman with the platinum hair brought the palm of her hand to her face. "Perhaps we can go somewhere more private to discuss our mission," she suggested.

Lilith took to Miguel right away. She found his dark complexion and thick black hair enticingly exotic, and could tell through his worn but well cut clothing that he was in prime physical condition. There was an unabashedly rugged quality about him, but at the same time he exuded a natural authority. Lilith wanted him, badly. She wanted to strip his clothes off, to straddle him and ride him hard. She wanted to feel his hot cum inside her, wanted to have his children. Lilith knew that impulse was her unique biology asserting itself, but that didn't make it any less real.

As she and Olivia followed the two locals, she couldn't take her eyes off Miguel's ass. It was so round and firm, and she wanted to grab it in both hands. "If I kill all the aliens," she whispered to Olivia, "can I have him? I promise we'll use a condom."

The woman walking next to Miguel turned her head and gave Lilith a strange look. There was a bit of distance between them, and Lilith didn't think the woman could have heard, but was getting the distinct impression that she had after all. It occurred to Lilith for the first time that Miguel and the woman might be involved, that she might want to take things more slowly until she knew more.

Soon they had arrived in a spacious but somewhat makeshift conference room. Several other men and women were already waiting for them when they arrived, having responsed to a call Miguel had made on the way.

"All right," Miguel said, "everyone here is cleared to know whatever you have to tell us. These are my top people. On the far left we have Abbie, then Ethan and Tatiana. The one watching the screens over there is Marty. And you've already met Cynthia." He indicated the woman who had walked out with him to meet them earlier. "We're pretty casual around here. Titles don't mean that much since everybody does a little of everything."

Another man entered the room from a door on the opposite side. He was tall and lanky with dark hair and a close cropped beard. He wore something on his face it took Lilith a moment to recognize as eyeglasses, and which on closer inspection appeared to be some sort of heads-up display. Lilith decided he was reasonably good looking, though not nearly to the same degree as Miguel. For a brief moment she wondered what it would be like to have a threesome with the two of them.

"Jude, glad you could join us," said Miguel. Jude nodded absently in acknowledgement, his eyes still fixed on the young beauty who was inexplicably in their midst. She gave Jude a bright smile, and he did his best to return in kind.

"Now that we have everyone together," Miguel continued, "I think it would be a good time for the two of you to tell us who are, and maybe explain your business here. We've got an emergency situation on our hands, and no one from the Company has been giving us any answers."

"Before I start, nothing I say goes beyond this room," Olivia began. She looked around the room at each and every person, and they all nodded in understanding. "Over two centuries ago, Earth received a signal of unknown extraterrestrial origin. Encoded in the signal were instructions for modifying the human genome, to create a hybrid between the alien species and our own. A team of scientists followed those instructions, resulting in a female humanoid lifeform they called SIL."

There were a several exchanged glances and murmurs among Miguel's team as Olivia related what she knew, and she gave them a moment to settle down before continuing.

"The original SIL displayed dangerous and aggressive behavior, resulting in a number of human casualties, and was eventually terminated. The consensus at the time was that the transmission was a trojan horse, and the resulting organism intended as some sort of extermination device."

"That seems like an unwarranted conclusion," Jude interrupted. "We don't know what the aliens' goals were. What if the transmission was intended to be beneficial, and the problems with this SIL resulted from her human DNA?"

"That was actually considered at the time, but the lifeform demonstrated too many traits of an invasive species. Besides which, things didn't end there. A retrovirus was discovered on Mars shortly afterward that resulted in the hybridization of its intial victim and his offspring. It operated on the same general principles as the instructions from the alien transmission. The outbreak that followed was contained with the help of a second SIL, who was fatally injured in the process."

"Wait, I'm confused," Ethan said. "If the aliens had this virus, why bother with the initial transmission?" Olivia shrugged.

"Like I'm going to second guess a bunch of E.T.s we don't know anything about? Who can say what they were thinking, or if their reasons would even make sense to you and me."

"So what happened next?" Tatiana asked.

"Records indicate there were several additional SIL related incidents, but the details are vague. The powers-that-were eventually decided the research was too hazardous to continue, and shut the project down. Keep in mind that genetics was not a very advanced science at the time; we were still in the process of mapping our own genome. The original scientists assigned to the project were in way over their heads.

In fact, it would be two hundred years before the human race was ready to take on the challenge again, this time armed with a much better understanding of the technology behind it. The records and materials from the SIL experiments eventually became Weyland Yutani property, and Reginald Algard picked up where the scientists of Earth left off. He said that the SIL gene sequence could be modified in order to suppress some of the more unfortunate tendencies of its phenotype."

Olivia noticed she was getting blank looks from around the room. "He believed he could make a SIL that was more inclined to coexist peacefully with other species. And several months ago, he succeeded in doing just that. Algard was even able to make some improvements on the original."

"Madre de dios," Miguel murmered. Similar sentiments were expressed by the other members of his team.

"So, hang on," Ethan said, looking Olivia over carefully. "Are you saying… I mean, you're not. Are you a… SIL? Or something?"

"No, I'm not. She is," Olivia answered, nodding her head toward Lilith.

Ethan found himself unsure how to respond, and looked around to see what the others were making of this revelation. From the back of the room, Marty was appraising their visitors with obvious skepticism, clearly not sold on the story they had just been told. He finally shrugged, put his ear buds back in, and turned back to the monitors.

Jude was stroking his chin, and looking the young blonde over with obvious fascination. Ethan couldn't read Abbie's face, but that was nothing new. She had been like that for as long as he had known her, coming out on top at least every other poker night. Even Cynthia, a goddamn android, showed more emotion, her current expression one of curiosity.

He suddenly realized that Tatiana, whose arm had been resting lightly on his thigh, was now gripping it tightly. Ethan took her slender, dark skinned hand reassuringly in his own, feeling guilty for his delayed response. Although she had been trying hard not to show it, his girlfriend had been extremely upset ever since the two of them had learned about the xenomorphs. And who could blame her? Now yet another monster had apparently been brought into their midst, and she was not at all comfortable about it.

Miguel, ironically, had the satisfied expression of someone who has just had a bewildering mystery explained to him. Ethan wondered what it was that his boss had just figured out, because he was still feeling very much in the dark.

"Despite appearances," Olivia continued, "the young woman standing here with me is in fact a genetically engineered hybrid; stronger, faster, and smarter than any human. Furthermore, she has undergone intensive training for dealing with xenomorph infestations."

Cynthia smirked slightly, suddenly feeling an odd kinship with Lilith.

"So she'll be joining the marines?" Miguel asked.

"No, she'll be replacing them."

"What, you mean, by herself?" It took Olivia a moment to realize that the question had come from Abbie. Though not entirely unattractive, there was something about her that made her difficult to notice.

"Yes, all by myself."

For a while, Lilith had been happy enough just to see new faces, especially since several of them were male. She listened as Oliva related the history of the SIL experiments, a history she had heard many times herself. But Lilith finally began to grow impatient; what good was meeting all these new people if she wasn't even getting a chance to talk to them? So she decided to jump in.

"Doesn't that seem a bit, I dunno, reckless?" Abbie asked dubiously.

"Not really," Lilith said simply, "I have a few things going for me."

"Well, I can't argue with you there," Miguel interjected with a wry smile, "but I'm sure you can see why we'd worry. I mean, you really don't look like someone who could take out a xenomorph hive all by yourself."

Lilith thought for a moment, then shifted to her other form and asked, "How about now?"

Miguel watched in amazement as the young blonde suddenly transformed before his eyes. Bony ridges pushed through her cheeks and forehead, and the shape and color of her eyes changed into something inhuman. Her skin darkened to a murky greenish gray, becoming glossy and translucent. Her ears flattened into her head, only to be replaced by a pair of horns twisting downward and away from her face.

A row of spines sliced through Lilith's shirt down the center of her back, and similar protrusions formed on her arms and legs. The shape of her feet changed slightly, her heels breaking apart her shoes. Perhaps most shockingly, her hair reformed itself into a mass of prehensile ridged tentacles, writhing snake-like behind her head.

"Well, uh… yeah. I guess that'll do it," Miguel said as he took a step back. There was total silence in the room for a moment, Lilith's transformation too sudden and real for anyone present to deal with in a rational manner. Cynthia had reflexively placed herself between Lilith and Miguel, her arms spread to form a barrier. Just as quickly she realized that Lilith was not behaving in a threatening manner, and allowed her arms to drop to her sides.

Ethan was holding Tatiana protectively, and Marty had taken cover behind his desk, peeking over the top with wide eyes, his initial doubts clearly gone. Even Abbie had raised her eyebrows a notch. Jude was staring at Lilith with his mouth literally hanging open, and was leaning forward for a better look at her.

Once Miguel got over his initial shock, he realized that Lilith's new form really was quite sexy, in a terrifying sort of way. The curves of her body were no less appealing than they had been before she changed, and her features had an exotic, strangely seductive quality.

"Dammit, Lil," Olivia muttered, "you ruined your clothes again, and we didn't bring any more."

"I'm sorry," Lilith said contritely, changing back to her human form, "I guess I should have taken them off first."

"No! No, I'm glad you didn't do that, at least," Olivia said. "A few rips is no big deal. We'll get you a whole bunch of new outfits at the mall later on, okay?" Lilith smiled, and Oliva sighed.

Miguel decided it was time to reassert control of the meeting.

"Yeah, all right, that's definitely a game changer," he said, "So now that we know all the pieces, let's figure out the rules. The sooner we have a plan of action, the sooner we can get started."

"Right, absolutely," Olivia agreed.

"I have some general ideas," Lilith said, "but I'm going to need some more information. The report I read said that the hive is still relatively small, is that correct?" Miguel nodded.

"There can't be more than thirty of them at the most," he said.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know what the population in Sector 7 was before the xenomorphs turned up. And once they did, it was completely evacuated. Only thirty personnel unaccounted for, and I hope to hell that some of them are still safe. Maybe hiding someplace." He shook his head. "Anyway, without any people around, the creatures have got no way to breed, right?"

"I assume you had the evacuees screened for infection?" Olivia interjected.

"Of course. We had one positive. The embryo was removed and the patient is currently stable. He's stuck in quarantine until the situation has been resolved. The situation. Christ, listen to me. I sound like one of those corporate jerkoffs from the satellite. You know they made us tell everyone there was an industrial accident over in 7? We run a safe operation here."

"Tell me a little more about Sector 7," Lilith said. "In fact, let me see the schematics."

"Here, put these on." Miguel opened a drawer and produced several pairs of glasses that matched the ones worn by Jude. Lilith and Olivia each took a pair and put them on. A moment later, a hovering representation of Alpha Station appeared over the conference table. The overall shape resembled a wheel, with the landing bay and primary population center at the hub, and eight spokes connecting to the fuel processing facilities along the perimeter. Miguel zoomed the image in to one of the latter, the rest of the complex fading to a ghostly blur.

"This is where the hive is," he said, indicating a darker area that encompassed several of the buildings. "The aliens haven't wasted any time making themselves at home. They've been covering every surface in the area with that resin they make, and even started putting up a few walls of their own, mostly surrounding this building here."

"That's going to be where the queen is," Lilith said. "Is this real time?"

"Yeah, it's all built on data from the satellite," Miguel answered.

"Hmm, can we get infrared?"

"Well, normally we could, but the resin…"

"Blocks the signal, right." Lilith frowned. "Well, let me see the original blueprints. I might be able to figure out where she's got her egg chamber."

Olivia was impressed. This was a side of Lilith she hadn't seen before.

"We know xenomorphs like it hot," Lilith mused. "In the initial encounter on LV-426, the center of the hive was located directly below the heat exchangers for the terraforming installation. Would there be anything like that in here?"

"We make clean energy, so not really," Cynthia said. "Pretty much any machinery generates some amount of heat, but only when it's running, and Sector 7 has been taken off the grid. I suppose we could try turning the power back on." Lilith shook her head.

"At this point they've already settled in. The queen is probably still in her laying cycle, which means she's immobile for the time being. Given the locations of the rudimentary hive walls, we know she's in this building here. She'll need a high ceiling, obviously, and a wide open area to lay her eggs." Lilith had already figured out the interface for nagivating the the schematics, and was rapidly jumping between rooms, zooming in and out, and changing display formats.

"So the rumors about LV-426 were true after all," Abbie said.

"Um… I guess so?" Lilith looked over to Olivia. "Sorry, was I not supposed to mention that?" Olivia waved it off.

"It's kind of an open secret. Don't worry about it."

"Apparently some of us know more than others, though," Tatiana complained.

"It wasn't exactly the Company's finest hour," Olivia said. "They did everything they could to sweep it under the rug. What do you expect?"

"Hold on, go back a second." Jude was looking over Lilith's shoulder. While pretty much everyone else was keeping their distance from her since her transformation, he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. "You see that room in the middle, with all those big storage tanks? Those aren't there anymore."

"He's right," Miguel said. "The first attempts to turn the grana into fuel resulted in a kind of watery slurry. We eventually figured out a way to render it down, so the new tanks are a lot smaller. That leaves a lot of empty space." Lilith nodded.

"That's probably where I'll find her, but there's only one way to know for sure."

"What is it you're thinking?" Olivia asked.

"The hive looks like it's contained to these six buildings." Lilith looked to Miguel. "Do you have a stock of demolition charges?"

"I can get some. How many do you need?"

"Two hundred and twenty."

"Two hundred and… fuck!" Miguel exclaimed. "You want to bring down all six buildings, I take it. Okay, I understand, but I mean… that's a pretty big project! Ethan and I are the only ones here with any experience in demo work. We'd have to figure out all the key support structures, and then figure out how to get them in place…"

"I've already determined all the critical supports," Lilith said, "and I can set them myself." Olivia looked at her quizzically.

"That wasn't part of your training."

"I read a lot."

"Maybe I missed something," Tatiana said, "but how exactly do you expect to get all those explosives in place? The aliens aren't just going to let you come and go as you please."

"Actually, they will. Well, probably, anyway. I was modified to produce xenomorph pheremones, so as long as I keep a low profile I should be able to move about unnoticed."

"That's handy," Abbie murmured. Ethan was shaking his head slightly.

"You might be able to set all the charges, but it's still going to take a long time for that many; days or even weeks. And on a project like this it's more important to work carefully than quickly."

"He's right," Miguel said. "It's too bad we can't get all the aliens in one place." Lilith thought that over for a moment.

"Maybe we can. I was already thinking that the biggest problem is going to be the queen. The demolition will kill most of the drones, but a few could make it out. On their own they'd be easy enough to finish off, but they're a lot smarter with a Queen in charge. And I can't guarante that bringing a building down on her would do anything more than make her angry."

"So what's your solution?" Olivia asked.

"I set the charges in the primary structure, then kill the Queen. That will bring the rest of the hive down on top of me. Don't worry!" she said, seeing the look on Olivia's face. "I'm faster than they are, and I'll have a head start. By the time all the drones are inside, I'll be long gone and ready to detonate the charges."

"Hang on," Abbie said. "Miguel, didn't you say there might still be some survivors?"

"Well, it's possible," he answered. "And I really hope there are. But the chances are pretty slim."

"Shouldn't she at least check before she starts blowing things up?"

"This isn't really a rescue mission." Lilith looked apologetic. "And if there is anyone still hiding in the area, it would be really better for them to stay put until it's over."

"What if there are people in the building with the Queen?" Abbie persisted. "You know, coccooned but not dead yet."

"Well, I suppose it's a possibility," Olivia sighed. "Please don't take this the wrong way but I really don't think there would be any way to get them out of there."

"Collateral damage is a bitch," said Miguel, "but the safety of the rest of Alpha station has to come first." Abbie frowned and looked away, but didn't say anything further.

"Without the queen or her eggs, there's no way for the drones to start a new hive," Lilith said. "But we still don't want any of them getting out of the area, so we should have someone keeping an eye on avenues of escape." Miguel smiled grimly.

"That's not a problem. We have two dropships full of marines looking for something to do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Miguel gave everyone the choice of coming along or staying behind. Tatiana was clearly out, and if she was staying so was Ethan. Marty decided he would be more useful staying put in a logistic capacity. Jude claimed he was going with because the situation in Sector 7 was too important not to see with his own eyes.

Abbie simply said, "I'm going too." As for Cynthia, she went where Miguel went.

Several hours later, the open-air bus approached the gate, a gigantic pair of industrial doors that dwarfed the surrounding wall. The walls around the sectors had been built to keep out the local wildlife, but Olivia quickly realized they would be entirely useless against creatures that could scale sheer surfaces as quickly as cover ground. Worse, they would hinder the escape of the human inhabitants they had been built to protect. She looked over at Miguel, who looked like he was having similarly grim thoughts.

The xenomorphs would likely as not ignore the gates themselves, but that had not prevented the gathered marines and local officials from reinforcing it with vehicles and stacked cargo containers. The enlisted men and women sat on and stood around the makeshift barricade waiting for orders, while the commanding officers appeared to be having a heated discussion in the control room.

As the bus slowed to a stop, two of the marines nearest them looked at one another. One of them, a woman with a look of authority, jerked her head toward the control room, and the other took off to inform their superiors of the new arrivals. Immediately following this exchange, two additional marines jumped down from their perch atop an APC, and approached the woman that Olivia presumed to be their sergeant. One of them asked her something that Olivia couldn't hear, receiving a brief nod in response.

Moments later, two men emerged from the control room, and Olivia was surprised to discover that she recognized them both. The younger man was Terence Harvey, a lieutenant she had worked with during her own time with the Corps. He was exactly the kind of transparently self-serving boot licker that ironically never amounted to anything, but her job had been to follow his orders, not to like the man. Shortly before she left active duty to pursue a career with Weyland Yutani, he suddenly expressed an interest in her. Nothing along the lines of sexual harassment, thankfully, as breaking his arms would have reflected poorly on her record. Olivia guessed that he just wanted an "in" with the Company and was hoping she could provide him with that. She politely turned him down, and had not heard from him since she began her new career.

The older man was Colonel Bill Gecko, who Olivia knew only by reputation. After publicly retiring as a war hero, he had been in charge of a number of classified missions on behalf of the Company. Olivia wasn't sure whether to be reassured or alarmed by his presence here.

As Miguel and the other passengers began to disembark, Harvey stepped forward.

"What the hell kind of operation are you trying to pull here?" he asked accusingly. Colonel Gecko said nothing, apparently willing to let the lieutenant beat his chest and get it out of his system. Miguel paused, trying to decide the appropriate response, but Olivia put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll handle this one," she said, stepping down. On even ground she was still about five inches taller than Harvey. "The operation is above your pay grade, Lieutenant, but since we're all here I might as well fill you in. The genetics division of Weyland Yutani has developed what they believe will be, among other things, an effective deterrent to xenomorph infestations. Accordingly, the Colonial Marines will stand by to act in a support role while we carry out our mission."

"Yeah, I know all about it," Harvey sneered. "The company wants to give their new toy a test run." Olivia frowned. Someone was being far too cavalier with classified information.

"Hey, now, they're here to help," Miguel said.

"It's all right," said Olivia. "That's a bit of a cynical interpretation, but basically correct." She looked at Harvey. "At any rate, I don't see what you have to complain about. Didn't you always used to say that the Marine Corps weren't Weyland Yutani's lap dogs? I would think you'd be happy to see the Company taking care of its own problems. Maybe you're just upset about missing out on a chance to further your own career?" Harvey opened his mouth to speak, then shut it, then scowled and looked away. Colonel Gecko laughed out loud.

"It looks like you two know each other," he said. "And I'm guessing you know who I am."

"Yes sir, Colonel," Olivia said, saluting him. "And let me introduce Lilith. She's a very special girl, and hopefully she'll keep you from having to put marines in harm's way."

Lilith stepped out behind Olivia, and did her best to mimic Olivia's salute. During her preparations for the mission, she had read extensively about the Colonial Marines, learning everything she could about their history, missions, weapons and vehicles, and most importantly about their past encounters with the xenomorphs.

"It's an honor to meet you, Sir," she said. "I've read about you." The colonel smiled.

"Well now, the honor is all mine, young lady. As it happens, I've read about you as well. Some of it was frankly hard to believe, but I guess the universe is just chock full of unbelievable things these days. Anyway, I've got no problem having our boys sit this one out. We'll be here if you need us."

"I'm glad to hear it, Colonel," said Olivia. "We could really use a perimeter to keep the creatures contained. These walls aren't going to be much help on their own, but with some guns on top they just might do some good."

"You heard the woman," Gecko said to Harvey, who snapped the Colonel a salute, looked at Olivia like he wanted to give her a quite different gesture, and turned to give the men their orders. Miguel introduced his team to the Colonel, who called over the group of marines that had been watching the newcomers since they arrived. "This bunch here has volunteered to help you set up your base camp outside the hive, and generally do anything you need them to. Alice, why don't you introduce your team?"

"Yes sir," said the woman Olivia had noticed earlier. "To start, I'm Sergeant Alice Taylor. This is Corporal Clint Burbank. Over there is Jack Newhouse. The big guy is Samuel Verne, and last but not least is Julie O'Neil. Well, only least by size, at any rate."

Lilith looked them over one by one. Sergeant Taylor was broad shouldered and solidly built. Her hair and eyes were brown, and her features plain. She gave the impression of someone who had weathered many hardships, and come through them all the stronger for it.

Clint Burbank was by no means brawny, but was definitely fit. He had a face that struck Lilith as calm, kind, and a little bit sad. When he looked in her direction, his ice blue eyes paradoxically made her feel as if she was going to melt.

Jack Newhouse had the kind of figure Lilith had heard described as wiry. One corner of his mouth had a tendency to pull upwards as if he was thinking about something amusing. She couldn't quite get a handle on him, but that just made her all the more curious.

Samuel Verne was quite simply a monolith of a man, towering over even Olivia. His skin was a rich dark brown, which combined with his stern face seemed to pull all the light from the air around him. He was built like a wall of rock, and Lilith found herself wanting to climb him.

Julie O'Neil was short and had a boyish figure. She seemed unable to keep still, and it struck Lilith as if the girl had more energy than she could fit into her small frame. Her hair was short and sand colored, and her wide open eyes further added to her childlike appearance.

Lilith was feeling elated about meeting so many new people in one day, more than she had ever known on the space station. She had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't here for fun and games, and that the xenomorph infestation was a very real threat to the people of this planet. They were all counting on her, and it was important that she stay focused. Still, she decided, it was all right to be a little bit excited. After all, this was going to be her chance to prove herself to Reggie.

"They may not look like much," Taylor said, "but they're good to have around when the shit hits the fan. I'd trust any one of them with my life."

"Who doesn't look like much? I know you're not talking about me," said Newhouse. Taylor smirked.

"We had O'Neil take a look inside while we were waiting for you guys," she said.

"Inside the hive?" Lilith asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No, no. Inside the sector. Near the hive," explained O'Neil. "It's not all hive. Not yet. The bugs are working on it though."

"Did you see any survivors?" asked Miguel. Abbie's words had clearly been weighing on his mind.

"No, I'm really sorry. I mean, there still might be some, inside some of the buildings. Some of the other buildings, I mean, not the big one in the middle. Any survivors in there would be, um… not survivors." She winced. "At any rate, the aliens aren't going anywhere. Not just now I mean. They're staying inside the buildings for the most part. Sometimes they'll go from one to another, and I spotted a couple of them on rooftops like they were on watch duty. It feels like they're waiting for something. Or getting ready maybe."

"Watch duty," General Gecko repeated. "Now that's something new. Makes you wonder how smart these things might really be. But they didn't spot you while you were looking around?"

"No sir," Julie answered. "I mean, at least I don't think so. They didn't act like they noticed me. But you can't really tell where they're looking. I'm pretty good at staying out of sight, but I don't even know if they see like we do, you know?" Gecko nodded and took out a com panel.

"I've got the schematics for the sector here. I'd like you to draw a map showing the path you took getting in and out. If it worked for you it should work for Lilith. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir," she said, and took the offered panel. A few seconds later she had traced her route on the tablet and handed it to Lilith, who looked it over carefully before returning it to the General.

While they waited for the other marines to finish setting up the perimeter, Miguel and the others spent some time getting to know Sergeant Taylor's team a bit better. Lilith mostly listened as the others talked. Her own life experiences had been rather limited, so she focused on soaking up all the information she could. Most of that information came from Newhouse, who was clearly the most talkative of the bunch. His favorite thing to talk about was himself, followed by his squad and their past exploits. Burbank would occasionally chip in, usually correcting or expanding on something Newhouse had said. O'Neil hadn't been with the squad for as long as the others, but she would burst in enthusiastically when a mission she had been part of came up. Verne rarely spoke unless asked a direct question.

Sergeant Taylor was busy discussing contingency strategies with Colonel Gecko, and making sure the other marines knew their parts in those strategies if things went wrong, but she smiled and waved when Lilith looked in her direction.

Out of all the people present, it turned out that only Miguel, Burbank, and Verne were originally from Earth. Lilith was a bit surprised by that. She knew that of the nearly one thousand planets the human race had explored, only about fifty had been deemed suitable for colonization. Of those, most of the colonies were small, ranging from a few hundred thousand to a few hundred million people; by contrast, Earth had well over a hundred billion. Maybe there was something about living on another planet to begin with that made people more predisposed to space travel.

Burbank expressed curiosity about Xanadu. It turned out he was getting near the end of his term, and was looking for a good place to settle down. Miguel and Jude were happy to answer his questions, and Jude had turned to ask Abbie something when they all realized she was missing.

A few seconds later they heard her voice, arguing loudly with one of the marines at the gate. Miguel went to see what was going on.

"This lady here was trying to get past the gate," explained the private Abbie had been yelling at. Miguel could tell the man was a bit flustered, though he was trying not to look it. "She seemed to get kind of upset when I stopped her."

"I was not trying to get past the gate," Abbie argued, "I just wanted to take a look. And this gorilla here grabbed me."

"It's all right, she's with me," Miguel said. He turned to Abbie. "Listen, the man was just doing his job. When the marines have got a job, they take it seriously, and that's a very good thing for all of us. Everyone's a little tense right now, and we're not here to throw fuel on the fire." Abbie looked like she was about to say something else, but then relaxed her shoulders and nodded.

"Sorry, you're right. I overreacted," she said. "Sorry."

Some of the other marines had gathered around to see what was happening. Once they decided the situation was under control, they started to disperse.

Lilith suddenly realized that it had gotten quite dark. The seventeen hour day was a bit disorienting; it had been early afternoon when she and Olivia had first landed, and dusk when they arrived at the gate. The artificial lights, along with her engrossment with her new friends, prevented her from noticing that the sky had gone black until she happened to look upward.

"We usually try to get about 5 to 6 Earth hours of sleep a night," said Miguel. He'd noticed Lilith looking at the sky and realized it was about that time. They'd decided it would be best for Lilith to infiltrate the hive shortly after daybreak, when the aliens would be relatively dormant. "With the perimeter up, we won't have to worry as much about attacks in the night. I assume we can count on the marines to keep watch?"

"Yeah," said Burbank. "The rest of our squad will be on shifts so we can be rested for the mission." Miguel nodded.

"Okay, great. Olivia and Lilith… uh, Lilith, do you sleep?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I sleep?"

"Right. Fair enough. Anyway, I know you're not used to Xanadu time yet. So you two can either try to get some shut-eye, or do whatever you need to get ready for tomorrow."

"I was with the marines long enough that I sleep when I can, where I can," Olivia said. "As for Lilith, well, it's up to you Lil, what do you think?"

"I'm tired. I think it's a good idea."

The marines had set up private tents for each of their guests, and it didn't take long before they were settled in for the night. Between Xanadu's naturally temperate climate and the slightly shorter nights, there was no significant drop in temperature from the day. As Lilith drifted off to sleep, she could still hear some of the marines occasionally talking outside, but she actually found the voices quite soothing. And somewhere further away, a quiet but insistent thrum that she didn't recognize, but that seemed somehow familiar.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_The humans had gathered nearby, come to test the sanctity of Her hive. They were keeping their distance for now, waiting for the Queen and Her children to act. Earlier, the humans had sent one of their own close to the hive. Her drones had seen the human, had wanted to capture it, but the Queen commanded them to remain still and watch. The Queen was patient._

_Later, the humans had circled the hive from atop their wall, placing strange objects behind them as they went. Though She could not fathom the meaning of these objects, or of the humans' actions, She knew they were to be treated as a potential threat to Herself and Her drones. She sensed that the humans were making preparations to attack. When they did, She and her children would be ready._

_She sensed something else as well; something that was among the humans, but not one of them. The Queen's curiosity was awakened._

Awakened. Lilith's eyes snapped open. There was someone in the tent.

"Who's there?" she asked, sitting up.

"Shh!" She recognized him; it was one of Miguel's people.

"Jude?"

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just… I walked by your tent and I saw you sleeping. You looked like you were trembling. Is everything all right?"

"Fine," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Just a dream. What time is it?"

"The sun won't be up for another two hours. I couldn't sleep. I've been tossing and turning all night."

"Because of the aliens?" she asked.

"No. Because of you," he admitted. "Just knowing you were so close, but not being able to see you. I… Actually, I came in a little while ago. Until you started having your nightmare, you looked very peaceful. And beautiful. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't a nightmare, it was more like… wait, what did you say?"

"Which part? I said a few things." He looked away and scratched the back of his head. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you that, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. But I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I wanted to talk to you all day, but it was too hard with everyone else around. And it's true what I said: I couldn't sleep, and I walked past the tent and saw you, and the next thing I knew I was inside. And you're beautiful."

Before Jude knew what was happening, he felt soft, insistent lips against own. Surprised, he tried to pull back, but Lilith took his head in her deceptively strong hands and held his face to her own. As she kissed him, her lips parted, and her tongue slid forcefully into his mouth. Now past his initial shock, Jude's resistance quickly melted away. He leaned into Lilith's kiss with everything he had, his tongue twisting desperately around her own. Sensing that she no longer needed to hold him still, Lilith ran her hands down his back, feeling the warm, taut flesh and bone through the fabric of his shirt.

"Your beard tickles," she murmured, finally pulling her mouth from his own.

"I'm sorry," he said. His head was reeling.

"No, it's okay." As if to demonstrate, she leaned forward and kissed him again. Her embrace had pinned Jude's arms in place, but he eventually freed them enough to wrap them around her back. Feeling his hands on her sent a shiver through Lilith's body. She took hold of his forearms, and used them to plant his hands on her hips, then slide them upward until they were ever so slightly under the bottom of her shirt.

Jude needed no further encouragement from there, his hands immediately working their way to the twin mounds adorning her chest. From the way her large breasts held their shape, he had assumed she was wearing a bra, and was surprised to discover that she wasn't. He cupped his hands over them, feeling the heat they radiated like pure sexual energy. Lilith took her lips off of his own, and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

"Grab my tits harder. Squeeze them."

Jude was happy to oblige, his hands sinking into the firm but supple globes, feeling the flesh bulge out between his fingers. Lilith almost moaned out loudly, but caught herself and turned it into a quite whimper instead. Worried he might have overdone it, Jude quickly relaxed his grip, but she put her hands over his own, however, and pressed them back in.

"Don't worry," she said, "it feels good. Really good. I'm having a hard time containing myself."

"You mean, from turning into your other…?"

"No, silly," she laughed. Then, in mock seriousness, "Though you'd better take my shirt off just in case. I wouldn't want to tear through it again." Momentarily pulling back, she held her arms straight up into the air to accommodate this process, and looked at him expectantly.

Lilith was clearly not interested in taking things slowly, which in no way bothered Jude; quite the contrary, her eagerness was incredibly appealing. But he did want to savor this moment, and thought he would take the opportunity to slow things down just a little. He knelt down before Lilith, and lifted her shirt ever so slightly, revealing an inch of skin above the waist of her pants. Leaning forward, he nuzzled the midline of her abdomen, softly licked it, and placed a gentle kiss.

Jude looked up to see Lilith's reaction. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth open. Heartened, he lifted her shirt another inch, and repeated the process. Gradually he worked his way upward, pausing briefly to stand shortly after passing her navel. By the time he reached her cleavage, her breath was coming out in short, ragged gasps.

The feeling of his mouth on her skin was delightful, but Lilith's arousal was reaching the boiling point. If the teasing kept up much longer she would scream. Her patience at an end, she finally grabbed hold of her own shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it into the corner of the tent.

She looked at him hungrily. The obvious ferocity of her desire gave Jude a sudden chill, even as he could feel his cock straining against the crotch of his pants. She took a sudden, predatory step toward him, then stopped.

"Now yours," she hissed. It took Jude a moment to catch on, and then he quickly took off his own shirt. Approaching him much more calmly now, she reached out and put her hands on his chest. For a few moments, she traced the contours of his torso with her fingers, then she took his hands in her own, and pulled him toward herself. She pressed her body to his, breasts squashing between his chest and ribcage, belly brushing lightly against the tent of his erection.

"Hm, what's this?" She asked seductively, sliding her hand down into his pants and wrapping it around his cock.

"Whoa!" he said, "Now that… that's moving just a little fast. Very nice… but… fast. Yeah."

She grinned, savoring the feel of the organ in her palm; hot, hard, pulsing. The bed in the tent was only made for one, but she was sure they could make it accommodate two. The only question in her mind now was whether she wanted him underneath her, or on top.

They were both pulled from the moment by a sudden loud whirring in the distance that led into a continuous staccato chirp.

"Shit, that's the one of the turrets," said Jude, looking toward the entrance of the tent.

"We've got incoming!" shouted a voice from somewhere outside. Lilith almost screamed in frustration. She'd gotten so wrapped up in the moment she'd almost forgotten about the aliens. Why did they have to pick now, of all possible times, to attack?

"Ow! Fuck!" she heard from right next to her.

Jude had grabbed hold of her arm, and Lilith realized that in her chagrin she had started squeezing his cock harder than she had intended to. She released her grip, and Jude, still holding her arm, carefully maneuvered it out of his pants. Lilith sighed.

"I guess we have to get dressed now," she said.

It turned out that the sentry gun had been triggered by a single xenomorph. It had managed to keep running at a right angle to the line of fire for some time, just outside the weapon's effective range, before finally being cut down. Colonel Gecko was rather perturbed by this discovery.

"Sending a scout to test our defenses," he muttered to himself. And had the creature chosen the path it had taken intentionally, or was it merely coincidence? Too many unanswered questions. Lieutenant Harvey, on the other hand, had chosen to see things in a more optimistic manner.

"Marines one, aliens zero!" he said, eliciting whoops and cheers from everyone present. Gecko let them celebrate. There was no point in bringing down their spirits, and one less xenomorph was one less xenomorph.

After that, no one felt much like going back to sleep. Lilith desperately wanted to pick up where she left off with Jude, but with everyone up and about there wasn't any way for that to happen. She did manage to catch him alone a moment, while everyone else was still focused on the alien. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed the side of her face against his chest.

"Thank you for seeing me as a woman," she said quietly. "Not a freak, not a science experiment." Jude looked into her eyes.

"Find me when this is all over," he said. "We'll run away somewhere and disappear, just the two of us. What do you say?" It struck her how similar these words were to the ones she had spoken to Reggie just before they parted. Reggie had rebuffed her gently, unwilling to face the consequences of such an action. Jude clearly didn't care. She smiled.

"It's a date."

As they waited for sunrise, Lilith went over the mission details with Sergeant Taylor and her team.

Given a choice of weapons, she opted for an M44A Canister Rifle to take out the Queen. To cover her escape, or in case everything went horribly wrong, she would also bring an Armat M41 Pulse Rifle. The M41A had proved its effectiveness against the aliens in the nevertheless doomed mission on LV-426, and the M41 was lighter and essentially identical minus the grenade launcher. Since she already had the M44A, she didn't need the extra weight slowing her down on the way out of the hive.

Olivia and the rest of the team settled for the standard issue M41A's, with the exception of Newhouse who selected the 'A2 long range sniper variant. They also chose various additional armaments according to personal preference. Notably, Verne carried an M56 Smart Gun, an enormous weapon that dwarfed any of the other guns in the USCM arsenal. To balance out the lower ammunition capacity of the sniper rifle, Newhouse also brought a flame thrower, the only weapon that Lilith found personally threatening. Burbank took a shotgun, and tried to convince Lilith to bring one as well.

"They're not much good at a distance," he said, "but nothing beats them up close."

"If the aliens get too close to me, I can always fight them hand to hand," Lilith replied. This remark raised some eyebrows among Taylor's troops.

"Well, I'm suitably impressed," said Newhouse, followed by murmurs of assent from the others.

Four of the sentry guns were also packed up, in parts. Burbank and Newhouse each took one, while Verne carried two. If everything went according to plan then neither the sentries nor most of the other weapons would see much use, but it was the policy of the Colonial Marines to prepare for every possible eventuality, especially in situations that involved the xenomorphs.

Finally, Lilith was provided with fatigues, an armored vest, and a blast helmet equipped with communication and monitoring devices.

"Hello, Lilith," came a voice from the helmet radio.

"Marty?"

"Yep, that's me. Flattered you remember. Anyway, I wanted to remind you that I've got access to the floor plans for the entire sector, and eyes on your position."

"I'm on here too," said Colonel Gecko. "Hopefully, I'll just be listening in, but if things go sideways you just let me know, and I'll send in the cavalry." Lilith was confused.

"I thought they were infantry?" She heard the Colonel's reassuring laugh.

"It's what they call a figure of speech," he explained.

Miguel, Abbie, and Jude all wished luck to Lilith and Olivia, and to Sergeant Taylor's team. Lieutenant Harvey shut down the sentry guns nearest their position, the crates and vehicles were cleared away from the gate, and the remainder of the squad moved through it to cover the team as they entered Sector 7.

The casual mood of the marines was gone now, replaced with total focus and determination. The difference was most pronounced in Newhouse, who Lilith barely recognized as the same person. Of them all, the stoic Verne was the only one in whom there was no noticeable change.

The stillness that surrounded them was more complete than any that Lilith had ever known. All of the electricity had been shut off, and there wasn't a living person as far as the eye could see. Sergeant Taylor's marines restricted their communication to hand signals. Footsteps, the shifting of contents in backpacks, even the sounds of breathing suddenly seemed much louder.

Through a combination of practiced routine and sheer function, the group fell into formation. O'Neil ran ahead of the others, keeping to what cover she could find, eyes open for any threats. When she was satisfied that the path was clear, she signaled to the rest of the team. From there, Taylor led the others to O'Neil's position, followed by Burbank and then Newhouse. Lilith and Olivia came next, and Verne brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for attacks from behind.

In this way they moved from checkpoint to checkpoint. Traditionally, Lilith knew that they would tend to keep distance between them when they covered open ground, as bunched up infantry presented an ideal target for enemy fire. In their current situation, however, it made more sense to stay close; the aliens would be more likely to surround and pick off anyone who strayed too far from the rest of the group.

It wasn't the fastest way to advance, and early on it had struck Lilith as perhaps overly cautious. The hive was quite some distance in, and only one of the creatures had ventured within sight of their starting location. However, as they continued, she saw that the path O'Neil was taking them on was extremely well chosen. She was keeping them out of sight, buildings between the hive and themselves at nearly all times, and there was always plenty of open space behind them should a retreat become necessary.

Eventually, O'Neil spotted two of the aliens in the distance, climbing along the top edge of a building just under the rooftop, and signaled the team to hold position. A moment later, Newhouse saw them as well. He lifted his scoped rifle to line up the first of them, prompting Burbank to put a hand on his shoulder. Newhouse took his meaning; their purpose here was to assist in Lilith's infiltration of the hive. Killing any of the creatures now, or for that matter the sound of gunfire, would attract unwanted attention and endanger that mission. Newhouse moved his finger away from the trigger, but didn't lower his weapon until both of the targets were no longer in sight.

Afterward, Taylor motioned to O'Neil, who approached the Sergeant for a conversation that was just audible to Lilith. Apparently, the initial site they had chosen for their forward position would take them past the building where they had spotted the two aliens. This being the case, they decided to instead set up at the nearest defensible location.

Lilith heard Marty's voice in her ear, which she found startling after the long silence.

"There's a spot just up ahead, a wide open intersection with a clear view in all directions. It's about half a klick from the first sign of hive structure, so I'm guessing that would be a good place to get set up." Looking at the rest of the team, she could see they had all gotten the same transmission. They arrived shortly and began to set up, double checking their communications gear, and unpacking and assembling the automated sentry guns. The demolition charges, which had been distributed more or less evenly, were all transferred to Lilith's pack.

"Hey, you all might want to see this," said Olivia. She had noticed something about a dozen meters from their current position, and gone to take a closer look. Her discovery, as it turned out, was a large blood stain on the pavement, the first sign of a struggle they had seen. Long smears in the direction of the hive indicated that the body had been dragged away.

"Well shit," said Newhouse, "I'm gonna feel real comfortable sitting around here, what about you guys?"

"It can't be helped," said Taylor. "Anyway, we know they've been out this far, but there's no reason to think they'll be back any time soon. And if they are, well, that's just the kind of thing we keep you around for."

"Your confidence in me is just so inspiring, Sarge," Newhouse responded.

Soon afterward, he and O'Neil had taken up lookout positions atop two of the buildings kitty-corner to the intersection.

"I wish we could have found a closer spot to set up," Taylor said, "but we've got to consider everything past this point the aliens' territory. If you need backup, hell, if you even think there's the slightest chance that you might, don't wait; let us know immediately."

"Listen to her, Lil," Olivia said softly from behind her. Lilith felt her friend's hands gripping her shoulders. "You don't have to do this by yourself. We're all here for you. I'm here for you." Lilith turned to reply, but before she could speak Olivia's mouth was on her own. The sensation was not unpleasant, and Lilith was still in a state of arousal from her earlier encounter with Jude. When the kiss finally ended, she looked at her friend questioningly.

Olivia turned red. "Um, a kiss for luck. You know."

"Excuse me, I could use some luck over here," said Burbank, earning him a friendly elbow from Taylor.

Lilith turned and looked at all of them. They were all counting on her from here.

"Thanks, everyone," she said. "I know I can count on all of you to be there at the first sign of trouble, but hopefully there won't be any. Just a fair warning, though; when I come running out, things are gonna get loud! I'll see you all soon."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Lilith made her way into the part of the sector that the aliens had claimed as their own, Newhouse and O'Neil watched her from their respective perches, and advised her of the best paths along the way. There were more of the creatures out on "patrol" than initially anticipated; either they were not quite so nocturnal as everyone believed, or they had sensed that the humans were encroaching on their territory.

Despite their vigilance, however, they passed right by Lilith on more than one occasion. Reggie would be glad to know that the transgenic pheromones were working properly, and it certainly did much to bolster her own confidence.

As she made her way closer to the hive, she saw additional blood stains like the one Olivia had found, as well as a few places where the aliens had started to spread their resin. At one point she stopped short after turning a corner, finding a half-eaten body lying unceremoniously in the street. She expected to feel revulsion, and was somewhat disturbed by the fact that she did not. Instead, there was some sympathy, yes, but primarily a detached curiosity. Lilith had always wondered if she was emotionally human, and her reaction to the mangled corpse suggested, at least to her, that she was not.

"Well, on the positive side, that's one less potential alien," said Marty. "They need living hosts to reproduce." Lilith had forgotten for a moment that Marty could see what she saw through her helmet camera. She took one last look at the body, and continued on her way.

Eventually, she found a building that was almost completely covered in hive material, its dark, ribbed contours oddly soothing to Lilith. She held her hand about an inch from the wall, and could feel the heat that emanated from the resin. From that point on, nearly every visible surface had been given the same treatment. Places where the original concrete and nanosteel showed through became fewer and fewer, and even the pavement was sticky with fresh resin.

The glossy black striation that was sculpted into the hive walls was eerily reminiscent of the creatures themselves, and Lilith was reminded that this was not purely a matter of aesthetics when she saw one of the walls shift. The alien that had been resting against it had entirely escaped her notice until it began to move.

"You'll be … building with the storage tanks soon," said Marty's voice, "where … figure the Queen is."

"Roger that," she said quietly, "but I think there's some interference."

"We're … some static from you too," said Taylor. "Watch yourself if we lose contact. If things … too dicey, get out."

Lilith frowned. She was still out in the open; the jamming effect of the resin must be stronger than she had realized. Well, that could potentially be a problem, but this was a solo mission to begin with. Having the others there to talk her through things or send in backup was comforting thought, but not one she had factored into her original plan.

She looked up. The building before her had the words "Processing Station" mostly visible above an open warehouse door. Lilith took a deep breath and walked inside.

Stepping into the building was like entering another world. The heat from the resin, barely perceptible when she had examined it outside, created a practically tropical climate for the hive interior. And rather than simply covering existing surfaces with it, the aliens had begun to create entirely new structures, giving the entire facility an organic quality. The air was oppressively thick, and filled with strange scents.

One of the hive's inhabitants entered the structure shortly after she herself did, passing so closely by that it almost brushed against her. She felt a thrill down her spine, and a sudden, insane impulse to reach out and touch the creature, an impulse which she had sense enough to ignore. Lilith was able to make out two more of aliens, curled up within nooks in the resin near the entrance. If she had not been looking for them specifically, she could easily have passed them by without noticing their presence.

Lilith did some quick mental arithmetic. Thirty of the sector's inhabitants unaccounted for, the xenomorph killed by the sentry gun, and the human remains she had found outside. The two aliens she had seen while she was with Sergeant Taylor's team, which might or might not have been two of the same five she saw later. The creature that had just passed her also might or might not have been one of those five. A total of four large blood stains outside… no way of knowing if the victims had survived long enough to use as hosts.

Discounting any xenomorphs outside that she had not encountered, that meant a Queen and anywhere between sixteen and twenty-three drones inside the processing station. Of those, she could account for three, which meant that there could be as many as twenty drones in the building with her that she had not yet seen. Not great odds. It was fortunate that she had the element of surprise on her side.

"Just... know, Li… ... video and … channel… …much either," said Marty. Lilith walked back outside for a moment .

"Is that better? Do you copy?"

"Affirmative," said Taylor.

"So, just a quick status update. In the big… whatever this part of the building used to be…"

"That would be … loading bay," said Marty.

"Right. Anyway, there's currently three of the aliens right inside; two stationary, one mobile. From the looks of things, they've made some modifications to the layout."

"Modifications?" Marty asked.

"Yeah. Whole structures made of resin. Nothing load bearing, at any rate I don't think so, but it's going to make getting around a bit more tricky, especially if the whole place has been done up like this. Anyway, I'm going to take things slow and careful, and avoid drawing attention from the aliens. I might be in here for a while. Since we'll be out of contact for an extended time, I figured I should let you know."

"Roger that. Your instincts … right on the money, Lil," said Olivia. "We're all looking forward to having this done with, but take … time and do it right. No shortcuts."

"Affirmative," said Lilith.

Entering the hive for the second time was no less surreal an experience than the first. However, by the time she had finished setting the first of the charges, Lilith was already becoming accustomed to her surroundings. By the time she finished with the second, she was feeling entirely at home.

As Lilith progressed further into the facility, she found that getting around was less difficult than she had anticipated. In fact, she soon realized that the various organically twisting resin formations were a help in getting about more often than a hindrance. The drones, meanwhile, were continuing to tolerate her presence; one of them had even moved out of her way to allow her to pass by. She felt a slight pang of guilt at deceiving the aliens, but reminded herself of the threat they posed to the people of Xanadu.

Suddenly, she thought she heard a voice. Lilith wondered for a moment if there might be survivors here after all. She stopped moving, and focused on breathing as quietly as she was able. She held perfectly still for several minutes, so that if she heard the voice again she could try to determine where it was coming from. She had just about given up, when she heard it again.

This time it sounded like it was coming from her helmet. Was the team trying to contact her? Maybe someone was sending a transmission that she just happened to be picking up. There were definitely at least two separate voices. She felt like she could almost understand what they were saying, and then it stopped again.

Lilith returned to her work, continuing to listen for the voices as she did so. She had set just over half of the charges when she heard them again.

"Hrra'bashh dead."

Hra-bash? What the hell did that mean? Someone's name, maybe?

"Ka'shharr knows this sure?"

"Queen send Hrra'bashh check strange thing. Hrra'bashh feel pain, Queen sense Hrra'bashh gone."

Two alarming realizations hit Lilith at once. The first was that the voices were not coming from her helmet, they were coming from inside her own head. The second was that she was hearing the aliens speak to each other.

She felt dizzy, and sat down against the wall. As the conversation she was overhearing continued, additional voices joined in.

"Queen say humans put strange things all directions. Strange things bite far away."

"Drones attack strange things?"

"Queen say drones dead before attack. Drones stay hive. Drones wait."

They weren't really voices, Lilith was starting to understand, so much as patterns that her brain was turning into words. That is, if this was really happening. Part of her was convinced this was some kind of hallucination, perhaps a manifestation of her own feelings of guilt. She wanted to believe that, because if this was really happening then the implications were staggering. For one, it meant that the aliens were not mindless monsters, that they were in fact fare more intelligent than anyone had imagined. They could feel pain, and they cared about one another.

Fuck.

Lilith tried to sort this out in her head. Assuming this was really happening, then the aliens communicated telepathically, and her own brain was somehow wired to hear and understand them. That didn't make any sense. If she could read minds, why hadn't she ever been able to before now? She knew the answer immediately. Humans weren't able to communicate telepathically, and someone had to be "sending" for her to "receive". She suddenly wondered if the aliens could hear her thoughts as well. The fact that she was still alive, however, strongly suggested that they could not.

Now what? Knowing that the xenomorphs were sentient, could she still go through with her mission? Her first impulse was to make her way back to the hive entrance and inform the rest of her team that…

That she was hearing voices in her head? That would go over well. That the aliens were intelligent and had feelings, then. Assuming they believed her, would it even make a difference? Humans were intelligent and had feelings, yet they still killed one another for all sorts of reasons. And the aliens were a clear threat to the population of Xanadu, and the biofuel at the center of the Company's clean energy program.

What if she said she could communicate with them? That might work, but Lilith wasn't even sure yet that she could. She could try, of course, but even if she succeeded it seemed unlikely that the creatures would listen to anything she had to tell them. Intelligent or not, xenomorphs were a vicious and predatory species, intent on breeding more of their kind at the expense of human lives. Still, she desperately wanted to believe that coexistence was possible, especially given the circumstances of her own origins.

If she could first convince the aliens not to harm the planet's human inhabitants, then getting the humans to reciprocate would be much easier. But how?

Suddenly Lilith remembered a saying that dated back to pre-colonial Earth: "Always negotiate from a position of strength." She still had a backpack full of explosives. If her attempts at diplomacy failed, or she was unable to communicate with the aliens after all, then she would need to carry out her initial objectives anyway. And once the hive was rigged to blow, she could present the Queen with an ultimatum. In the meantime, she would listen, learn, and finish setting the charges.

Lilith could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She was trying extremely hard not to get her hopes up; there were, after all, so many things that could still go wrong. But if her plan worked, she would have accomplished something truly amazing.

She finished placing and arming the last of the explosives, and ran a quick diagnostic on the array; all of the charges were set. From here it would take only the press of a button to bring the entire hive down. It was probably a good thing that she had finished when she did, because she had an uneasy feeling that the aliens were beginning to grow suspicious of her. Their communication with one another had become much more guarded, and though she had no way of knowing where the creatures were looking, she was almost certain that they were watching her.

She took several deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Checking the time, Lilith was glad to see that she was far ahead of the time frame she had envisioned. Hopefully, that would give her plenty of time to try and make the xenomorphs see reason. She stood up straight, and tried to make herself as presentable as possible in her combat fatigues; the outfit wasn't really designed with aesthetics in mind. She was fairly sure the alien Queen wouldn't care about her appearance, but it never hurt to look your best, she thought.

She mentally looked over the floor plans for the building one more time, and decided on the fastest route to take her to the egg chamber. The hallway, which with the built up resin structures might be better described as a tunnel, was quite large in scale. It had originally been built with cargo vehicles in mind, but would be the perfect size for the Queen to comfortably make her way through.

Lilith continued toward the hive's center, drones parting to let her pass. It was obvious that they had figured out she was not one of them, but perhaps they understood that her business was with their Queen and their Queen alone. She thought suddenly of an ancient myth she had read about, in which the gates to the underworld were guarded by a hellhound that allowed people enter, but would not let them back out again. It was not a comforting thought.

The primary storage area was just up ahead and to her right. The walls to either side of her were plastered with the spent corpses of the humans that had been used to breed the drones, their heads lolled forward, never to look up again. Male and female, young and old, people of all ethnic persuasions decorated the hallway. The aliens were nothing if not all-embracing. Regardless of this diversity among the hosts, all shared one trait in common: the gaping holes in their torsos through which the nascent drones had made their entrance into the world.

She could hear the Queen breathing, a deep and rhythmic sibilance that echoed through the tunnel. The drones that had allowed Lilith to pass were unmistakably looking in her direction with their eyeless stares, waiting with infinite patience to see what her next action would be. To hesitate, she knew, was to show weakness, and to show weakness was to invite disaster. She braced herself, trying to project strength and self-assurance, and stepped into the Queen's chamber.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Lilith had seen pictures of a xenomorph Queen, had read everything that was available to her from Weyland Yutani's files, but coming face to face with one was nonetheless an overwhelming experience.

To start with, the creature suspended before her was gigantic. Yes, Lilith had known that She would be, had taken into account all of the rational and logistical ramifications of the Queen's dimensions, but she had not considered the daunting psychological effect that it would have. Further, while the drones were largely humanoid in appearance, the Queen was something else entirely, an insectile arrangement of long limbs and sharp spikes nestled below an enormous flaring crest. Monstrous, yet somehow elegant in Lilith's eyes.

As large as the Queen Herself was, She was dwarfed by the prodigious egg sack that extended from between Her long legs, and against which She rested the undersides of Her feet. It pulsed and quivered, and was just translucent enough that Lilith could see the deadly eggs as they were slowly squeezed through the glossy, muscular organ to be deposited among the dozens of others. Each of those leathery pods, Lilith knew, contained an organism whose sole function was to transform a living creature into a disposable nursery for its seed.

Both the Queen and Her egg sack were attached to the ceiling via long fibrous strands of the alien resin. In this state, the Queen was immobile, Lilith knew, a fact that did not make her any less imposing. As Lilith continued to look on in awe, the Queen's face slowly extended from beneath the protective shell of Her crest, displaying a set of teeth like crystalline daggers. From these formidable jaws flowed an endless stream of viscous saliva, trickling down Her chin before falling to splash on the floor far below.

Beyond simply seeing Her, Lilith could feel the Queen's presence. Her will. Her insatiable desire to breed countless children and claim this world for Her species. Lilith faltered. How could one fight or negotiate with such a creature?

"I have known of your existence from before you entered My hive. Your dreams called out to me as you slept." Where Lilith's brain had interpreted the communication of the alien drones as half-formed sentences, the voice of their Queen resonated clearly and loudly in her mind.

"I wanted to know more about you, and sent one of My drones to bring you to Me. But the humans killed him, using methods unknown to My kind." Lilith's first impulse was to apologize for the drone that had been killed. She had entered the Queen's chamber in order to attempt diplomacy, after all. But to apologize would be to accept fault on behalf of the humans for an action that had been necessary.

"The humans only want to protect themselves, and they will do whatever they must in order to do so. They see Your kind as a threat." Lilith paused. "Can You understand me when I talk out loud like this?"

"The sounds that you make are not necessary." Lilith decided to try speaking directly from her mind.

"Like this, then?"

"You learn quickly," replied the Queen. "One moment…" The rate of Her breathing momentarily quickened, and Her enormous frame shuddered. "Oh yes!" As Lilith watched, another of the Queen's eggs was delivered wetly through Her egg sack and placed lovingly among the others. She lifted the end of the immense organ, long strands of sticky liquid still hanging between it and the most recent addition to Her clutch. The Queen exhaled blissfully. "Yesss…"

Lilith was entranced by the scene, which seemed to bring out a multitude of conflicting responses within her. There was horror, yes, but also excitement, arousal, and… envy?

"You smell like us," the Queen said, "and your shape is that of a human. In truth you are neither of these. I am excited to see what manner of drone you will breed." Lilith shook her head.

"I can't allow that to happen," said Lilith. The Queen hissed.

"It is not your place to decide that, it is Mine!"

"I was afraid You would say something like that," Lilith sighed. "I should let You know that I have the power to kill You and all of Your children." This statement gave the Queen pause, and She tilted her head as if thinking something over carefully, Her massive crest swaying to the side.

"I can see in your mind that you are telling the truth. If you can kill us… what is your reason for not doing so?"

"I need to know if peace is possible between your kind and the humans."

"Peace?" asked the Queen. "What is it?" Lilith was confused for a moment. She had figured out earlier that this form of telepathy was not based on actual language. In her mind she heard the aliens' thought patterns as words she could understand; translation, as such, didn't enter into it. Why, then, would the Queen fail to understand her meaning? Unless… of course! The concept itself must be entirely unfamiliar to the creatures!

"Peace means… no killing." Lilith decided it best to explain in the simplest terms possible. "I'm asking You not to kill any more humans. I will ask them not to kill any more of you."

"They would agree to this?" the Queen asked incredulously.

"I think so," said Lilith, "but only if I can tell them that you will do the same." For a long time the Queen said nothing. Maybe She was considering it, Lilith thought. Maybe this could actually work!

"I am curious," the Queen finally said, "why do you help the humans when you are not one of them?"

"They're my friends!" Lilith said. She had been taken somewhat off guard by the question. "Humans made me. They raised me. Just about everything I know, I learned from humans. Sure, they may not be perfect, but there's a lot about them that I admire."

"And you are happy living among them?"

"Yes! Well… most of the time," she admitted. "The humans may not give me everything I want, but they've always treated me well."

Suddenly, Lilith heard an electronic sound in her helmet, followed by another. She looked at her detonator, which displayed a list of all the charges she had placed, and they were blinking off one by one. Her heart sank.

"But, how?"

"Did you forget? I told you I can see into your mind. What will you do now?" the Queen asked. "Will you destroy yourself along with the hive? If so you must decide quickly, your opportunity is quickly passing."

Lilith looked behind her. All of the drones that had been watching her so intently earlier were now gone, presumably off destroying the demolition charges along with their brethren. Lilith was dismayed to have lost her leverage over the hive, but perhaps she could still make an appeal to the Queen.

"No, I will not." Lilith shut off the detonator and tossed it aside. She was relieved that her bravado was still holding up. "You're dismantling the charges, so what? That's totally fair. I'd do the same thing! Who wants a bunch of explosives set to go off in their home?"

"I would imagine no one," responded the Queen.

"Um, right." Rhetorical questions were apparently not a xenomorph thing. "The humans sent me to kill You, but that's not why I'm here."

"You are here because you want… peace."

"Exactly! Peace is much better for everyone. Just think; no more of your children have to die fighting the humans."

"And in return for this, we must not kill the humans. What about to eat? Can we kill them to eat?"

"What? No! They wouldn't like that at all. Definitely a deal breaker." The Queen hissed thoughtfully.

"Can we kill them to breed?"

"No! Listen, you cannot kill them, for any reason at all! Or it just won't work."

"My children must eat, though! I must breed!"

"Right, well, there are other things living on this planet besides humans. You can kill them all you like. Though, uh, it's probably a bad idea to kill all of them."

"And the humans, they would let us do this?" That stopped Lilith short. Would the humans really be okay with xenomorphs running about freely on Xanadu? She didn't want to risk lying, and she certainly didn't want to say no.

"I… can't say that for sure. I'd have to ask them." The Queen huffed in dissatisfaction.

"And would we have to ask them before everything we do?"

"Of course not! My best guess is they'd just leave you alone to do whatever you wanted. Well, pretty much, I mean. I'm sure there would be some limits."

"What sort of limits?" the Queen asked suspiciously.

"I don't know… staying away from human populated areas, probably. Not eating their livestock. That kind of thing."

"You said we could eat anything that wasn't human!"

"They have to eat too!" Lilith pointed out. "These kinds of things are just basic rules that the humans try to follow themselves, so that there can be enough for everyone. It doesn't always work, but they try."

"Humans have strange ideas," said the Queen, "and we will not be forced to abide by them!"

"All right, I understand. Let's just focus on the no killing part first, ok? If I can tell the humans you've agreed to that much, then I'm sure everything else can be…"

"I have decided I am not interested in this peace of yours," the Queen interrupted. Lilith was stunned.

"But… but why?"

"It is not according to our nature. I allowed you to share your thoughts with Me so that I could learn more about the humans. Understanding their behavior will make it easier to kill them. I will make you a host for one of my progeny to replace the one killed by the humans, and wait for the right moment to attack."

Lilith was crestfallen. She had thought herself so close to ending the pointless bloodshed between the two races, but all her efforts had been for nothing. The Queen had only been using her. A hissing sound from behind attracted her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the drones had returned, and were now moving to surround her. Lilith's despondence turned into a smoldering fury, and she glared back at the Queen, her mouth twisting into a snarl.

"You're making a mistake. I don't need those demolition charges to kill You."

One of the drones leapt toward Lilith. She used her canister rifle to extend her reach, catching the creature on the end of the barrel, and propelling him forcefully into his Queen. An instant later, she raised the weapon and shot off the top right corner of the Queen's crest. The sound of the rifle firing, and of the explosion that immediately followed, echoed through the hive, nearly drowning out the Queen's screech of dismay.

Lilith looked around her. The creatures were once again beginning to close in around her, but their movements now were guarded and uncertain.

"Tell them to stay back," growled Lilith, leveling her M44A at the Queen. The drones backed away, lowering their heads deferentially. "I offered You peace, and You wouldn't take it. Fine, then! If You want to fight, I'm more than willing. But fight me Yourself, call Your children off."

What the hell was she saying? Was that really her own voice? She felt strangely euphoric; all fear, sorrow, and even anger were now gone as Lilith readied herself for a battle to the death. This must be the state in which the xenomorphs live their entire lives, she suddenly thought.

"I don't understand," the Queen finally said. "You could kill Me right now, why do you wait?"

That was a good question, actually. Were Lilith's instincts overriding her ability to reason? She took aim at the center of the Queen's chest, just between the secondary set of arms…

Then lowered it back down. She couldn't bring herself to shoot a target that was in no position to fight back.

"I wouldn't get any satisfaction from that. Come down here and fight me, Bitch!"

The Queen strained and pulled against Her resin lattice, the long spikes on Her back gradually breaking away from the their rigid, organic supports. As She worked Her way free, Her egg sack tore open and ripped slowly away from its connection between Her legs. Lilith winced, imagining what that must feel like. The Queen fell from Her perch, landing heavily on Her feet, then stretched out Her massive body and roared.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lilith could feel her body changing reflexively in response to the threat before her. The fatigues, much looser fitting than the clothes she had brought with her to Xanadu, were able to accommodate her metamorphosis with far less damage. Her helmet was another story, and she could feel it being pushed away from her cranium by the tentacles sprouting from her scalp. She removed the headgear, throwing it impatiently behind her, and shrieked her challenge to the Queen.

For a time the two of them circled one another cautiously, each appraising the other and looking for the best opportunity to strike. Lilith knew that she was in many ways at a disadvantage.

The Queen's extended reach would make it impossible to engage her in hand-to-hand combat, and while Lilith's physical strength was far beyond that of a human, she knew that the Queen outmatched her in that respect by an even greater margin. The chitinous protective carapace would be difficult to penetrate, and if she should succeed there was the matter of the aliens' acidic blood. Lilith had no idea whether her body could repair itself from acid burns, and was in no particular hurry to find out the hard way.

By contrast, she knew that she could heal from most other kinds of damage, while the aliens had no particularly noticeable regenerative powers. So that was one point in Lilith's favor. The other was her agility; Lilith had been designed with extraordinary reflexes and proprioception. Even should the Queen prove to be far less lumbering than She appeared, Lilith was confident of her own ability to dodge Her Majesty's attacks.

The monstrous alien charged at Lilith, who reflexively raised the canister rifle and fired directly towards Her gaping jaws. The Queen, by now quite aware of the nature of Lilith's weapon, saw the shot coming, and lowered her head at the last moment. The shot glanced off of her crest and exploded against the remains of the resin framework from which the creature had hung earlier. Undeterred, the Queen continued to rush toward Lilith, who tumbled out of the way at the last second, then rolled quickly back as the Queen's massive tail struck the ground where she had landed.

Still lying on her back, Lilith took a shot before her opponent could turn around. The round narrowly missed, but when it hit the wall the explosion knocked the Queen off Her feet. Lilith raised herself onto one knee and prepared to take another shot. She was caught off guard when one of the drones descended on her and grabbed hold of the M44A, sending the round to explode harmlessly against the high ceiling.

Lilith shrieked angrily, and took her left hand away from the weapon to punch the drone in the side of his head. The creature immediately let go of the canister rifle, and fell over screeching and holding his face.

"You… cunt!" Lilith screamed, "I said to leave your children out of this!"

The Queen, who used the distraction to get back to Her feet, charged toward Lilith once again. This time Lilith had much less room to maneuver than before, and when the Queen lunged she was barely able to step aside in time.

"My children will protect Me whether I tell them to or not," said the Queen. Her inner jaws snapped closed on thin air, missing by Lilith by inches. "And why would I listen to anything you say?"

"I could have killed You while You were still laying Your eggs," Lilith reminded Her, "but I didn't!" She kicked off the wall behind her, and used the momentum to catch the Queen directly on the chin with her knee. The force of the blow stunned the creature long enough for Lilith to run past Her, and find cover among the resin-coated crates and machinery.

"That was your decision. It means nothing to Me," countered the Queen. She was using Her long arms to sweep behind the crates, seeking out Lilith's position. "Do you think yourself another Queen, come to challenge Me for My hive? You are not one of us! I have ordered My drones not to attack you, but only for my own amusement." Lilith realized that it had been foolish to assume that the creature had any intention of fighting fairly.

As the Queen's right forearm came between two closely set crates, Lilith grabbed hold of it, and wrenched it around the corner. She heard a loud crack as the hand went limp, followed by a loud and continuous wailing. Lilith let go quickly, mindful of the potential spray of corrosive blood, and the arm was immediately withdrawn.

Having given away her position, Lilith decided it was best to get moving. The area in which she had taken cover was extremely tight and confining, and if the Queen changed Her mind about holding back the drones, Lilith would be trapped with no way out. She ran through the narrow space behind the machines, but just as she stepped into open space her canister rifle became caught. Before she could dislodge it, the Queen's tail came swinging directly at Lilith's head. She instinctively ducked backward, the spiked barb clanging loudly inches above her face.

The Queen had pulled her tail back in preparation for a second swing, and this time Lilith dove underneath it, tucking and rolling into the open, then running to put additional space between herself and her opponent. For the briefest of moments, she felt relieved. In fact, she felt… lighter? Her weapon! In her efforts to avoid impalement, Lilith had been unable to get it free!

She looked at the Queen, who was examining Her broken arm. There was still time to grab the canister rifle, thought Lilith. But just as she turned to make her way back, one of the drones leapt down from above to prevent her from passing. She ran around him, but there was already another barring her path, this one directly blocking Lilith's weapon. Lilith took out her M41 and fired a warning burst past the drone, who dropped to a crouch and hissed threateningly, but otherwise remained in place.

"Keep them out of our fight!" demanded Lilith. "I won't kill them if I don't have to. I'll even do everything I can to see that the humans leave them alone."

"All of My children would happily sacrifice themselves for Me. I am the only one who can breed more of our kind, and that is the only thing that matters."

"You won't get that chance!" Lilith opened fire, running directly toward the Queen. The rounds from the pulse rifle were unable to penetrate the Queen's armor, but the volley was enough to keep Her distracted while Lilith closed the distance between them. Once she was close enough, Lilith jumped high into the air and grabbed hold of the creature's head.

The Queen swiped at Lilith with Her uninjured primary arm, but Lilith dodged, swinging herself to the back of her opponent's crest. Gripping it tightly, she brought both feet down hard on the alien's neck. Lilith's analysis of the Queen's structural physiology indicated that Her arms were unable to reach behind Her own head, and the creature's frantic attempts to do so bore that theory out. Lilith continued to tromp forcefully on the ribbed chitin of the Queen's neck, hoping to find a weak point that would at the very least stun Her.

Furious, the Queen shook Her head violently, and Lilith was nearly thrown loose. At the last second she managed to catch a handhold, and clung tightly as she was whipped about in all directions. Suddenly, she felt an incredible searing pain in her shoulder. Lilith released her grip, expecting to fall, but instead found herself suspended in midair. Looking down, she saw the massive barb of the Queen's tail emerging just below her left clavicle.

Lilith grabbed the enormous spike and put all her effort into pushing it back through her body, but it was more than she could manage. She felt dizzy and weak, and could tell that her lung had been pierced.

"I admire your determination," said the Queen. She pulled Lilith free and casually dropped her. "But you have lost."

Lilith groaned from the impact as she hit the ground, blood bubbling in her chest. Despite the shape she was in, she still had a chance, as long as she remained aware of her surroundings. The aliens were all but ignoring her now, the drones tending to their Queen. They no longer saw her as a threat; that could work to her advantage. Lilith looked around and saw the M44A, still hanging where she had left it, and no longer guarded. She started crawling towards it, her shoulder already beginning to knit back together.

She started coughing involuntarily, and spat out the blood that had been pooling in her lung. She looked back. The drones must have heard her and figured out what she was doing, because now they were all headed her way! Lilith quickly scrambled to her feet and made a mad dash for the canister rifle as they swarmed behind her. The momentum brought her crashing into the control panel it was caught on, and she quickly wrested it free. If she could only kill the Queen, Lilith thought, the marines would be able to take care of the rest. She turned and tried to take aim, but her wounded shoulder was making it difficult to line up a shot. She had seconds at most before the creatures were on top of her. There was no time to wait. She pulled the trigger.

The canister exploded, but before Lilith could confirm the kill she was pinned down and besieged from all sides by black chitin, and slavering maws of sharp, glinting teeth. Lilith knew she was moments from death, but despite their rough treatment of her she regretted that she would be unable to stop the humans from killing the drones. One of the creatures climbed atop her, mouth open wide, revealing a secondary set of jaws nestled behind the first. In a moment, Lilith knew, those jaws would penetrate her skull and leave her in a vegetative state. Once she was no longer a danger to the hive, her still-living body would be used to breed another drone.

This was it, then.

Suddenly the drone stopped, interrupted by a familiar screech. No! It couldn't be!

The drones kept Lilith pinned down, but she was able to lift her head and confirm that the Queen had, in fact, survived. On the other hand, the arm that Lilith had broken earlier would never have a chance to heal, having been blown off at the shoulder.

"First you damaged My crest," said the Queen accusingly, "and now you have taken My arm!"

"Oh, shut up," said Lilith. She dropped her head back down and stared at the resin-obscured ceiling. "You've got no one to blame but Yourself."

She heard a wet, smacking noise, and turned her head to see one of the Queen's eggs splay open. She turned and twisted in vain against the myriad drones that were keeping her in place. The one lying directly atop Lilith pressed up his body closely against hers and hissed almost gently.

As she watched the egg, its occupant slowly emerged, climbing up over the unfolded petals. This was the intermediate stage organism in the aliens' life cycle, what some of the documents Lilith had read aptly referred to as a facehugger. First came the long, spindly legs which it would use to latch onto her head. These were followed in short order by its rather minimal primary body structure, then the twin sacs that were used to regulate a hosts' respiration, and which looked to Lilith a bit like enormous testicles. Finally the long, prehensile tail was revealed, with which it would choke its victim into unconsciousness.

That victim, in this case, being herself.

Moments earlier, Lilith had been prepared to surrender to the inevitable, but the all-too-brief reprieve had ended the moment. Part of it, too, was knowing that she had failed to take the Queen with her. The feeling of elated detachment that had overtaken her during their battle was now entirely gone, and Lilith was scared. She didn't want to die.

In her current position, though, no other outcome seemed possible.

She thought of Jude. Now they would never be able to run away together, to pick up where they had left off when they were interrupted. She would never feel him thrusting into her with that deliciously throbbing length that she had held so briefly in her hand, would never feel his hot cum splashing inside her. Fulfilling her. Completing her. Just thinking about it was making her wet.

She thought of all of the others she would never have the chance to mate with. Miguel, Burbank, Newhouse, Verne. Reggie…

Reggie! She had let him down! She had let all of them down, all the people who were counting on her. Now the aliens would use her as fodder for the newest addition to their ranks.

The facehugger turned toward Lilith, sensing her presence by whatever means the creatures used to identify their victims, then leapt into the air with startling speed, trailing ribbons of clear, viscous fluid. It landed a short distance away, and began scuttling in her direction, its legs clicking rapidly against the floor. Again the creature jumped, landing right next to Lilith, and she watched as it crawled, spiderlike, onto her shoulder.

She hissed at it threateningly, knowing the gesture was futile. Nothing short of death would deter the creature from performing its singular purpose. The drones that pressed against Lilith from all sides watched the scene with eager anticipation. The facehugger tilted to reveal its underside, shaped improbably like the vulva of a human female. From deep between the labial folds extended the tip of the its ovipositor, the long, slimy tube through which it would deposit its seed into Lilith's body. She felt the first of its bony legs on her cheek as it began moving into place. It tickled, like Jude's beard had when she kissed him. Her first kiss… at least she got to experience that much, Lilith thought.

No! It wasn't enough! She tossed her head in an attempt to shake the facehugger loose, but its whip-like tail coiled tightly around her neck. Lilith clenched her jaws and pressed her lips tightly together, all the while thrashing against the drones holding her down. If she could only get her hands free…

The facehugger's tail was performing its job quite well. Lilith was unable to breathe, and her instincts were screaming at her to open her mouth; but she knew that the instant she did, her reward would be a squirming tube of flesh down her throat. Still, she could not hold out forever. Already she was feeling lightheaded, her brain starving for oxygen. Her lungs were burning, and her heart was pounded desperately. She would eventually lose consciousness and her jaw would go slack. She considered allowing the facehugger to insert its ovipositor and then biting down on it, but the prospect of a mouth full of acid was even less appealing to Lilith than having her chest broken open from inside.

She could feel the creature pressing its slimy underside insistently against her face. It had a musky, organic scent that Lilith found oddly arousing. Its legs were wrapped firmly but not uncomfortably around her head, and the tip of its ovipositor was sliding back and forth against her lips, searching for a way in.

Finally, Lilith could resist no longer; she had reached the point at which the immediate need for oxygen outweighed the fear of death. Her mouth flew open in a silent gasp. The facehugger wasted no time in accepting the invitation. Lilith could feel the ovipositor slide quickly past her teeth, along the length of her tongue, and down into her throat. She found the sensation quite strange, but not painful. The pain would come later, she supposed.

There was movement all around her. The drones were no longer holding her down, she realized. Maybe there was still time to escape! She reached for the facehugger, hoping to remove it before she lost consciousness. Or rather, she tried to reach for it; her fingers twitched slightly, but Lilith was otherwise completely unable to move her arms. In fact, she quickly discovered, her entire body was paralyzed. The aliens had lifted her off the ground, and were now carrying her. She could feel their strong, rough hands on her body, so there was clearly no accompanying loss of sensation. She was simply unable to move. But why was she even still awake?

She gave it some consideration. A number of Weyland Yutani scientists had proposed that oxygen deprivation was not the sole means by which the facehuggers rendered their victims unconscious, that there must be some chemical agent as well. No one had ever been able to prove this conclusively, as many of the aliens' biochemical properties were neutralized after death. Apparently, whatever the facehuggers used to put their victims under was acting on her now. Her body was able to counteract its soporific properties, but it seemed there was a paralytic effect as well, against which she had no such defense.

All quite fascinating from a scientific perspective, Lilith supposed. But she doubted that she would get the chance to share this discovery with anyone else. And in more practical terms, it meant she would have that much more time in which to contemplate her inevitable fate.

She felt hard, slick resin against the right side of her back; her spines would make it impossible for the aliens to place her flat against the wall. She caught bits of their conversation as they began to cocoon her.

"Host strange. Host human shape, later not human shape."

"Queen say host not human. Queen say host Rri'risss."

Lilith felt thick strands of warm, sticky liquid running down her body, focused primarily on her arms and legs. She knew the creatures would want to leave her torso free, to facilitate the emergence of their newest sibling.

"Ahra'shor feel is happy when look Rri'risss or touch Rri'risss."

"Rri'risss almost kill Queen! Rri'risss dangerous!"

"Ahra'shor still feel is happy when look Rri'risss."

It sounded as though one of the drones had a bit of a crush on her, Lilith thought. For a fleeting moment she imagined him turning against the rest of his hive and saving her life, chuckling inwardly at the absurdity of the notion.

"Hrasss'yah also feel is happy when look Rri'risss. Rri'risss breed good drone."

It seemed that at least two of them found her attractive, but that she could forget about them helping her in any way. Ah well, she had expected as much. If the xenomorphs found another life-form appealing, it would only make the desire to breed one of their own from it that much greater. Due to their unique method of reproduction, it only made sense.

Even so, the idea that two of the creatures currently affixing her to the wall found her alluring excited her. Lilith had no way of knowing for sure, but perhaps they were brushing up against her slightly more than strictly necessary to perform their task.

"Tear off my clothes!" she tried thinking to them. "My body is already yours, so use it any way you like!" Nothing, no indication that they had heard. It seemed that in her current state she could only hear their thoughts, not respond to them. Her helplessness was so complete that she could not even beg. For some reason, that though turned her on even more.

The fresh resin had begun to solidify, and was holding her weight on its own. One by one she felt the creatures' hands pull away, their work now finished.

"No, don't stop!" she thought desperately. And then she was alone. No, not alone; with the drones now gone, her focus turned to the creature on her face. She could feel its legs gripping her head possessively, its tail tightened controllingly around her neck. She could feel its air sacs expanding and contracting rhythmically against her cheeks, providing just enough oxygen to keep her alive and healthy as it slowly deposited its deadly package into her body. And of course, she could feel its ovipositor sliding about in her throat, caressing her lovingly from within. Perhaps it was only because she was already incredibly horny, but the process struck her as extremely sensual.

She would have sighed, but had no voluntary control over her own breathing, her lungs having been reduced to passive organs. She could do absolutely nothing now, was capable of no voluntary action. All she could do now was wait, as the facehugger made her into a host for its offspring.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Olivia wasn't worried about Lilith. She had reminded herself of that enough times over the last several hours that she ought to know it by now. Lilith had said the mission might take longer than initially planned, had informed them of this quite clearly. She was more capable than anyone Olivia had ever known. The plan was sound, and Lilith had demonstrated absolute proficiency in all aspects of her training. She would be fine.

"So uh, how long are we going to wait?" asked Newhouse. "Before we go in, I mean?"

"I know Lilith," said Olivia. "She can do this. If something went wrong she'd at least find a way to get out of there and let us know. She's incredibly resourceful."

She saw Newhouse exchange glances with the other marines. Olivia knew she was unable to be entirely objective in matters where Lilith was concerned. She sighed. "Look, just give her a little bit more time. One more standard hour, okay?"

"It's going to be getting late soon," said Taylor, checking the local time on her com panel. "If we want to go in while they're still relatively dormant, that's going to be cutting it pretty close."

"I don't think they'll stay dormant once we go in anyway."

"That's true, but I'd like to try and have a window before they know we're there."

"One hour," repeated Olivia. Taylor sighed and shook her head.

"You're the one calling the shots for now. I wish we'd established a more specific timeline when Lilith checked in."

"There's no way she'd be able to give us an exact time without checking out the entire structure first," Olivia argued.

"I suppose. But those creatures aren't going to wait forever. Dammit, why can't we get a signal through that resin anyway? It's organic material, so even if it were ten feet thick we should be able to at least get something."

"Maybe it's signal interference," said Burbank.

"Come again?"

"Well, we know they can coordinate their actions over long distances, but we don't know how."

"Some kind of telepathy, yeah?" said Taylor. Burbank nodded.

"What if they use the resin as some kind of an amplifier?" he suggested. Taylor gave it some consideration.

"Sort of an organic communication network. It's a possibility. No real way to know for sure, though."

Olivia decided to pass the theory along to her superiors when she got back to the station. If Burbank turned out to be right, there might be some way to use that against the aliens in the future.

"All right, listen," Taylor said to her, "we came out here as an escort. The six of us can follow her into the structure, get in some recon, maybe attempt an extraction. If it comes to anything more than that, we're going to want the whole platoon ready to go in hot. Colonel, do you copy?"

"Roger that. Hold your position, we're coming in now. In the meantime, keep your eyes open. You see Lilith, let me know. You see bugs, let me know. The hive goes sky high… well, shit, if that happens, I'm buying drinks."

Lilith hung suspended from the resin, where, she realized, she would most likely stay until the building was either reclaimed by the humans or destroyed entirely. By that point she would be beyond caring either way.

As she allowed her mind to wander, she imagined what it might be like to have sex with each of the males she had lusted after, first one at a time, and later all at once. She wondered if their personalities offered any insights to what they would be like as lovers.

She had known Reggie for her entire short life. He was thorough and strict, utterly dominant, but also gentle and reliable. She had wanted to bed him for as long as she could remember, and had made her desires quite clear. Reggie rebuffed her time after time, and it was heartwrenching for her, but she had always held onto hope that he would eventually come around. In one of the sex videos Lilith had secretly gained access to, the man had struck the woman's bare ass with the palm of his hand repeatedly. The circumstances leading up to this had not made much sense to Lilith; the implication was that this was punishment, but the woman had seemed very much to enjoy it. From that point forward, whenever she broke one of his rules, Lilith would fantasize about Reggie spanking her. Eventually, tired of waiting, she just came out and asked him to directly. Reggie pretended to ignore her, as he so often did, but there had been a pause just long enough that she knew she had caught his interest.

Miguel was another dominant male, but in an entirely different way. He was a natural leader, a man who had earned the respect of his peers through years of hard work. He seemed incredibly attached to that android girl, though. Well, Lilith wouldn't mind sharing; though women didn't appeal to her in the same way as men, or to nearly the same level, she had no doubt that a threesome with the two would be quite an intriguing experience.

Jude was quiet and introverted, but it hadn't taken much for Lilith to overcome his shyness, and once she had gotten him started, he proved to be both a passionate and creative lover. He had shown initiative when it was called for, but had also been fine when she took control. His reaction when she grabbed his cock was simply precious, and from what she could determine with her hand, the cock itself was a fine specimen. She wished that she could have felt it in a more intimate place. Jude was the first ever to return her affections, and she would have taken him to the heights of ecstasy between her legs. He had been willing to leave behind everything for her. She imagined what might have been, the two of them escaping to some unsettled world and living out their lives together. Lilith, Jude, and their thousands of children…

Then there were the marines.

Burbank looked like a man who had seen and done many things in his life, such a stark contrast to her own brief and sheltered existence. He also had a dreamy, faraway look, and Lilith sensed that he carried some heavy burden. Perhaps he had lost a friend or loved one; she imagined that everyone in the marines must experience that at some point. She could think of a good way to ease his mind, to take the weight from off his shoulders for at least a short time.

What would Verne be like in bed, she wondered, or wherever else she could get him alone? Would he maintain his austere and rigid manner as she rubbed her naked body against his, or was there a fierce and passionate beast held in check behind that stony gaze? Either could be exciting in its own way, she supposed, but leaned a bit more toward hoping for the latter.

Although Newhouse was friendly and outgoing, and had spent hours talking about his experiences, she felt as though there was something about him that she was missing. He was quite attractive, but for some reason Lilith found it difficult to imagine having sex with him, a dichotomy that she found extremely confusing.

And then there were the xenomorph drones. She wasn't sure whether or not they were even capable of sex, or even if they were indeed male from a biological perspective. They definitely struck her as male, however; the shapes of their bodies, the way they moved, the way they smelled. They sounded male when she heard their thoughts in her mind. They felt male when they pressed up against her tightly. One of them was inside of her even now, and though not in the way she would have liked, the thought was somehow thrilling.

Lilith knew that the creature inside her saw her as nothing more than a warm body in which to grow and develop, and that it would kill her in a violent and painful manner when it was ready to make its entrance into the world. Even so, she wished it no harm. In fact she sincerely hoped that when the marines came to exterminate the aliens, her own would be overlooked. Perhaps the small alien might escape into the wild to live out its life far from human civilization. She knew that such a sequence of events was highly improbable, of course, but the thought made her happy nonetheless.

Eventually, the facehugger had completed its task, the sole purpose of its short life, and allowed its grip to loosen. Lilith felt the ovipositor retracting. Over the preceding hours her throat had grown accustomed to the writhing tube extending deep into her body, and now felt empty without it. The facehugger's tail slackened, and it detached itself from her head, climbing its way stumblingly down her body. By the time it reached her waist, the organism simply lost all volition and fell to the ground, depleted.

Now that the facehugger was no longer pumping its chemical secretions into her body, Lilith could feel control over her muscles beginning to return. She opened her eyes, looking out into the dark stillness of the hive. She had been plastered to the same wall as the xenomorphs' earlier victims. As Lilith regained the ability to move her neck, she looked around at her neighbors, wondering what they had been like, what hopes and dreams they had brought with them to this planet. Everything they had once been was now gone, sacrificed to the aliens' unstoppable drive to reproduce.

And she would be the next to join them.

She wondered if she still might be able to take the alien Queen with her before she died. The resin cocoons were strong enough to hold humans in place, but that did not mean they were strong enough to hold Lilith. She tested her bonds first with one arm than the other; the material gave slightly where it was still wet, and showed signs of fracturing in the areas where it had dried. With enough effort, Lilith decided, she should be able to break through it.

She could hear frenzied hissing and screeching emanating from within the Queen's chamber. The creatures were definitely worked up about something, but at least for the moment it wasn't her. This was probably as good a time as any to try and work herself free, she decided. Although her muscle coordination had not yet fully returned to her, it was probably best to take action while the aliens were distracted. Besides, Lilith had no idea how much time she had left.

She twisted back and forth, the hard, sticky ligatures that held her in place stretching and beginning to crack. Finally, she dropped to the hive floor, landing on her hands and knees. Large portions of her fatigues remained coated in the alien resin; shredded as it already was from her transformation and subsequent fight with the Queen, Lilith was glad she had never cared much for the outfit. She shrugged off the body armor, and tore off what remained of the clothing. None of the protection it afforded would do her any good now, and it felt gratifying to uncover her body, especially in the hot, thick air of the hive.

She moved cautiously as she approached the turn back into the room where she had confronted the Queen. Where she had failed twice; first in diplomacy, and then in combat. She tried to hear the telepathic voices of the drones, hoping to get some idea of what was happening, but it seemed that whatever activity they were engaged in had no need for words.

The sight that greeted her as she looked around the corner astonished Lilith.

All of the drones were gathered around their Queen, who was leaning forward with Her legs bent and the hand of Her remaining arm flat to the ground. They seemed to be competing to get as close to Her as possible, to slide themselves directly up against Her body, to nuzzle their faces into Her chitin. Some had climbed up onto Her back, and were working the teeth of their inner jaws into the grooves of her neck, copious amounts of drool sluicing downward.

There was something else about the drones that caught Lilith's attention, something which had not been there before, and that definitively answered the question of whether they were, in fact, male. Each drone was now sporting between his legs a hefty, ribbed shaft as long as her own forearm and fist, and nearly as wide. For a time Lilith forgot entirely about her mission, about the deadly embryo growing inside her, and about any of the human males that had attracted her interest. She was entranced by the aliens' cocks, could think of nothing but how beautiful they were, how wet they made her just to look at, and how much she wanted to feel one spearing her along its length.

One of the drones stood directly behind the Queen, pistoning his hips rhythmically, sliding his cock in and out of Her eagerly receptive canal. The Queen was breathing fast and deep, Her entire body shuddering ecstatically. She was drooling in an even greater quantity than usual, and a proportionate measure of fluid spilled from between her legs. The drone mating with Her increased the speed and strength of his thrusts, enough to rock the much larger female forward and back. He locked his arms around the bony protrusions of her hips, arched his back, and screeched out his passion. His tail whipped about violently as his body jerked once, twice, three times as he held himself deep inside his Queen. Finally, reluctantly, he released his hold on Her and stepped aside, only for one of his brethren to immediately take his place. The drone that had just filled the Queen with his seed took his place among the others who were showering Her with their devoted affection.

Lilith found the scene before her to be nothing short of awe-inspiring. What she wouldn't give to be in the Queen's place right now! She realized that she had been watching the creatures mate for some time, entirely transfixed, with her mouth hanging open and her hand stroking idly between her legs. She tried to clear her head by sorting through the practical ramifications of what she was watching.

Based on the few cases in which the creatures had been bred in captive, Weyland Yutani's researchers had assumed that egg production on the part of a xenomorph Queen was an entirely parthenogenetic process. Though there had been no drones available with which to mate, they had nonetheless been able to develop egg sacks and begin laying the leathery pods which contained the facehuggers. These facehuggers, in turn, went on to embed members of other species with embryonic drones, which through some unknown process were able to assimilate DNA from their hosts. In this way they were able to immediately incorporate into their own race traits that their host species had taken millions of years to evolve.

The only drawback to this system, for the aliens at any rate, was that any such traits would be gone after a single generation; if the drones were not part of the procreative process, then any favorable characteristics they possessed would die with them. The only way for the aliens to maintain the attributes of a particular host species would be to continue breeding from that same species indefinitely. However, by copulating with Her drones, the Queen allowed their genetic material to be reintroduced into Her next clutch, including any eventual Queen eggs that She might lay. In this way, the xenomorphs would be able to evolve at a frighteningly accelerated rate.

Thinking this all out had done little to quiet Lilith's burning arousal. If anything, contemplating the creatures' reproductive power had only stoked her fire. She berated herself for such an inappropriate reaction, and looked around for her weapons. The M44A remained where she had been tackled by the drones, just below the control panel on which it had gotten caught. The M41 was much closer, apparently having fallen to the ground along the way as Lilith had been carried.

The drones were preoccupied, and would not expect her even to be awake, much less moving freely about the hive, but there was no point in being careless. Lilith crawled slowly and cautiously into the chamber, making her way first to the pulse rifle and slinging it quietly over her shoulder. Her attention remained sharply focused on the orgy taking place right in front of her eyes. She had to make sure that the creatures hadn't seen her, after all; it had nothing whatsoever to do with the rhythmic, sensuous movements of the drones pressed up against their Queen, nor with their long, hard, utterly magnificent cocks.

Right, clearly not. Lilith sighed and shook her head. Now she just had to get the canister rifle. She could see it clearly, simply lying there ignored just as the M41 had been. Lilith could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

No, not her heart. The creature inside her was moving!

But how could that be? Xenomorph young were supposed to have an incubation period of several hours!

Then it hit her.

She wasn't human. Lilith's growth and development had been radically accelerated as a result of her altered genes. Genes that had now been incorporated into the alien within her, the stage of xenomorph development sometimes called a chestburster, for reasons that were all too self-explanatory.

The hammering behind her ribcage stopped. Perhaps she had a bit longer after all. She took a slow, deep breath…

Then felt the twinge of razor-sharp teeth biting their way through her chest cavity. The sudden, acute pain took her by surprise, and she shrieked out in distress.

The sound immediately drew the attention of the xenomorphs, and the drones quickly adopted a defensive posture around their Queen. Once they realized what was happening, they gathered around Lilith eagerly to watch the joyous event.

Her body was racked with paroxysms of unbearable agony, and she fell convulsing onto her back. She could feel the diminutive alien twisting in all directions, searching anxiously for a way out. She flailed on the ground, eyes shut tightly, lips retracted in a grimace of anguished torment. As it thrashed about inside her, the chestburster collided with the back of her sternum. Frustrated, it pounded itself against the bone once again, and then a third time.

For a moment the creature paused in its struggles to escape. The excruciating, stabbing pain in Lilith's chest faded momentarily to a dull, throbbing ache, as her ruined heart and lungs struggled to function. But she knew that her ordeal was not yet over.

Once again the creature renewed its efforts, and Lilith's sternum cracked. The broken bone was pushed forcibly outward, tearing through flesh in a sudden spray of crimson. Lilith screamed; a ragged, primal vocalization of terror and suffering.

She watched as the chestburster, having weakened the barrier to its liberation, erupted between her breasts. Blood fountained as the alien emerged, triumphantly screeching its existence.

Like most xenomorph young that Lilith had seen depictions of, the creature was generally snake-like at this stage of its development, its shape striking her as rather phallic, with only two short, stubby arms to detract from the effect. As she felt her consciousness beginning to fade, Lilith noticed that its skin was unmistakably translucent, much like her own, and wondered idly what other qualities the chestburster had inherited from her.

Her last thought, before slipping into the darkness, was that the tiny creature was beautiful.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

As Olivia and the team of marines advanced cautiously through the building, there was a conspicuous lack of xenomorphs. Lilith had warned them, at the time she had made contact, that there had been at least three of the creatures just inside the entrance. The aliens were gone now, but gone where?

"Sarge, we've got a problem," said O'Neil. Her voice was quiet but decidedly tense. "Look at this." She had a light fixed on one of the demolition charges that Lilith had set. The wires had been torn and the receiver smashed. "That got to be intentional, right? There's another one in the same condition right over there." She directed the light across the room. Taylor looked questioningly at Olivia, who shook her head.

The team kept a tight formation; just because they hadn't seen any of the aliens didn't mean that there weren't any, and the last thing they needed was one of the creatures dropping down between them so they couldn't get a clear shot. Fortunately, they knew all the places that Lilith had planned to rig with the explosives, and could make a fair guess about the path she would have taken in order to do so. Following along that path, they continued to come across ruined demo charges. They almost looked as though they had been chewed through. That was a disturbing thought. For all the speculation about how intelligent the aliens were, Olivia didn't want to believe they would be capable of identifying and disarming explosives.

Even without any of the creatures in the immediate proximity, their presence could be clearly felt. The darkness, the resin, and the hot, oppressive air all contributed to the feeling that the xenomorphs could suddenly appear from anywhere at any time.

"They don't waste any time making themselves at home," Newhouse muttered.

"Yeah, but where the hell are they?" Burbank asked. "With all the resin, could we be looking right past them?"

"Theoretically, yes. But I don't think so," said Olivia. "We'd know by now."

"Something's definitely not right," said Taylor.

"What was your first clue?" asked Newhouse.

"I don't like this," said O'Neil. "That just, like… you know. For the record."

Despite their misgivings, they pressed on, passing through long, narrow hallways and wide open rooms in turn. It was starting to look as if Lilith had completed setting the charges, but then something had gone wrong afterward. That didn't make sense to Olivia. If the aliens had figured out what Lilith was up to, why let her finish setting the charges at all?

At least if Lilith had gotten this far, she had probably been able to kill the Queen, Olivia thought. The Queen was a stationary target during Her laying cycle, after all. And if Lilith had been successful with that part of her mission, the rest of the aliens would have immediately made for Lilith's position. That much had been part of Lilith's plan, and would explain why there were none of the creatures to be found elsewhere in the facility. What it didn't explain was how Lilith, armed with both the weapons she had been provided and her own innate abilities, could possibly have failed to escape. It also didn't account for what had happened to the demolition charges.

Suddenly, they could all hear screaming from deep inside the building, a sound that was definitely not coming from the aliens, but was not exactly human either.

"Lilith!" Olivia yelled.

A quick look at the map indicated the sound was coming from the area they had identified as the Queen's chamber. Olivia ran ahead, giving the others no choice but to follow.

"Isn't this what we said we weren't going to do?" Newhouse asked.

"Too late," said Burbank. "We're committed now."

Eventually, the screams built to a long crescendo, and then finally stopped. Even without the sound to guide them, the team knew exactly which part of the structure they were headed for.

"Turn right up ahead, then left," said O'Neil. "And, um… then right again. I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Fuck, man!" Newhouse exclaimed. Bodies of the xenomorphs' victims were cocooned up and down both sides of the corridor.

"Look over there!" said Olivia.

It was the uniform that had been given to Lilith, or at least what was left of it. Sticky residue from what looked to have been resin bonds coated the tattered garments.

"It looks like Lilith broke free," Olivia said. "Maybe she got away." Then she noticed the dead facehugger curled up next to the fatigues. O'Neil and Verne saw it too, and looked at each other, Verne shaking his head slightly. Olivia reached the opening to the breeding chamber before Taylor and the others could stop her, and any hope she might have had left was cut short.

Lilith was lying on her back in her transformed state, perfectly still, with her jaw slack and eyes half lidded. Blood was pooling around her, slowly trickling from the ruptured tunnel between her breasts. From this gory hollow emerged the developing alien that had chewed its way free of its victim's chest. The creature finished wriggling its way into the open, its serpentine body twisting and coiling around itself, before quickly slithering away from Olivia and the marines.

So focused was Olivia on the fate of her beloved charge that she hadn't initially registered the xenomorph Queen and over two dozen drones on the other side of Lilith's body. It wasn't until the chestburster had hurried off, winding between the feet of the adult aliens, that Olivia became aware of their presence.

"We're not equipped for this," said Taylor. "Retreat, now!"

Olivia was still in shock, staring numbly. Burbank grabbed her by the arm.

"It's time to go," he said. She looked up and nodded, joining the rest of the team as they backtracked down the corridor.

"Burbank, O'Neil, stay on Olivia. Get her out of here." Taylor ordered. "Verne, you cover our six."

"Already on it," said Verne. He opened fire on the first of the aliens that had turned the corner to pursue, killing two and wounding a third. The acid blood that splashed the hall melted several of the cocooned bodies down to the bone.

"Newhouse, you're with Verne," shouted Taylor. "Anything that gets close enough, light it up."

"Affirmative," Newhouse responded. He readied his incinerator, but it seemed as if no additional drones were giving chase. "There's no more coming. What's going on?"

"Above you!" said Verne. Newhouse looked up; one of the drones was clambering along the ceiling of the hallway. He fired a stream of burning fuel, and the creature immediately caught fire. It screeched in agony and rage, and leapt down and towards him. Newhouse instinctively jumped back, when the alien suddenly stopped in mid-air and flew spiraling away from him. It took him a second to realize that Verne had grabbed hold of the creature and quickly thrown it backward.

He stared at Verne for a moment, mouth hanging open.

"That was fucking crazy, man!" said Newhouse, "Are you sure you're not an android?"

"Pretty sure," Verne answered simply, patting out the fire on his arm.

The alien, meanwhile, had finally succumbed to the flames. No more of the creatures appeared to be chasing after them, and the two marines ran to catch up with their comrades. They heard firing up ahead.

The rest of the marines and Olivia were dealing with the swarming xenomorphs that had cut them off at an intersection. They had killed three of the aliens between them, but more were quickly closing in, sprinting along the walls and ceiling. The team was losing ground, and the creatures were closing in too quickly to deal with one at a time. Burbank made a snap decision.

"Get down!" he shouted, firing a grenade into the hissing, snarling mass of aliens.

Burbank was knocked over by the force of the explosion. The others had already thrown themselves down, but could feel the blast wave and the heat rushing past. When they looked up, they were able to make out parts of at least four xenomorphs, counting by the heads. Unfortunately, the grenade had also brought the ceiling down, cutting off their avenue of escape.

Before Burbank could stand, he felt something grip his leg tightly, and heard a menacing hiss. One of the aliens had survived the explosion, and though it had lost its entire body below the waist, it clearly had every intention of killing him before it expired. He lifted his shotgun and blew apart the creature's head.

"Shit!" he yelled. Xenomorph blood had spattered his boots and pants, and he hurriedly set about devesting himself of both. Afterwards, he carefully looked himself over until he was satisfied that none of the acid had reached his skin. Relieved, he took a deep breath. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize," said Taylor, "you've got nice legs."

"I meant about bringing the roof down."

"I like your boxers," said O'Neil.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna miss the boots more than the pants."

"What's going on up here?" asked Newhouse. He looked around at the collapsed hallway, the dead and dismembered xenomorphs, and the half-naked Burbank. "Damn!"

"Burbank was just doing a little striptease for us girls," said Taylor.

"Well, he does have nice legs," Newhouse observed.

"I know, right? I was just saying that!"

"Anyway, the bugs stopped following us after I torched one of them."

"My guess is they were all busy cutting us off," said Burbank.

"Well, I see the path is all clear now," said Newhouse. "Good job on that, by the way."

"We're going to need to find another way out," said Olivia.

"You think?" said Newhouse.

"Already have one," said O'Neil. "But… well, you might not like it." She showed everyone the map on her com, a new route highlighted in red. Taylor looked skeptical.

"That takes us kind of close to the nest, doesn't it?"

"We've got no other options," said O'Neil apologetically.

"Wait a minute," said Newhouse, "what about all these?" He gestured to several branching hallways.

"Well that's the thing," said O'Neil. "None of those actually lead out of the building."

"Double check me on this," Taylor said. "There were twenty-five or so of the drones back there, and we've already taken out about ten." She arched an eyebrow. "That's actually not bad work. Anyway, that leaves about fifteen more. I think we can hack that."

"Better odds than when we came in," Newhouse admitted.

"About half of those were mine," Burbank reminded them, "and I almost got us killed blowing them to hell."

"Grenades in small spaces, not really ideal," said O'Neil. Burbank shrugged.

"Yeah, well. Things weren't ideal to start with," he said.

"All right, everyone listen up," Taylor began. "First off, I want you all on fresh clips. Verne, you're up front this time. Newhouse, you watch our rear. Remember, these things like air ducts; they may come from unexpected places. We're going to take this slow, corner by corner. Any of the bugs show up, get a clear shot and take it. We aim to kill about three each, and that should be all of them."

"You're forgetting the Queen," said Olivia. "That one won't go down so easy."

"If we stick to these hallways… well, they're smaller than the main one. Like, person sized, not… truck sized." said O'Neil. "It'll be a pretty tight fit for mama bug."

"Olivia, as of now this operation is no longer your responsibility," said Taylor. "You want to help, that's great. Just don't get in the way, or do anything crazy."

"Affirmative," answered Olivia.

A heartbeat. A sudden gasp of air. Organic tissue twisting and coiling.

Confusion. Vertigo.

Shapes in the darkness.

Lilith screamed and jumped to her feet. Her hands flew to her chest, and found it intact. She was still alive. But how? She had always assumed that if her heart were destroyed, she would die. It felt like… a memory, locked somewhere in her DNA.

"Reggie," she whispered. He had always said that Lilith's design was an improvement over that of the original SILs. Could this be part of what he meant?

Still half in a daze, shocked by her own continued existence, she looked around her; what she saw brought her immediately back into the present.

She was still in the egg chamber. The Queen looked at her, as astonished as Lilith herself. Next to the Queen, nuzzling up against Her leg, was a single drone. He looked different than any of the others Lilith had seen; among other things, his chitin was a murky greenish gray, glossy and translucent. Although he was now fully grown, Lilith immediately recognized him as the one that had grown inside her own body.

"He is perfect," said the Queen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

For a long moment Lilith gazed upon the creature that had gestated within her, using her as a source of both genes and nutrients before violently erupting from her chest. The Queen was right; he was perfect. She struggled to understand her feelings for the creature, conflicted as they were, and was surprised to find that foremost among them was love.

Love was not unfamiliar to Lilith. First there had been Reggie, who had created her, taught her, and looked out always for her best interests. And later she had fallen in love with Jude, who had welcomed her advances despite the risks, who was willing to give up everything for the chance to take her as his mate. But in both of these cases, her love had manifested itself as an intense thrill of physical attraction. And Lilith felt no desire to have sex with this drone, despite his flawless form and massive, ribbed shaft. At first this confused her; after all, he possessed every attribute that had attracted her to the others of his kind, so why was she not drawn to him as a mate?

Suddenly it made sense. He was her offspring! In a strange but very real sense, her own child! The instant she realized this, Lilith was flooded with a sense of ecstatic fulfillment more powerful than anything she had ever experienced. She stepped forward and embraced her son, shrieking joyfully. The pain and terror that his entry into the world had caused her was not forgotten, but it seemed now such a small price to pay. If she had it to do over she would change nothing, except that she would willingly, even eagerly, accept the facehugger's seed down her throat!

Not long before, Lilith had believed herself at the brink of inescapable death, but now she was more alive than she had ever dreamed possible. Something had awakened within her, and she finally understood the reason for her existence. She looked up at the Queen.

"I… I want to do it again!"

The Queen stared at Lilith in fascination. This was the first time that any creature had survived the birth of one of Her children. Such a thing was completely unknown to Her kind; the implications were almost beyond Her imagining.

And now, this Lilith was offering her body to create another drone.

The desires of a host were generally not something that the Queen gave much consideration. All other forms of life existed as prey and breeding vessels for Her children, and it was rare for such creatures to accept their true purpose. But Lilith was clearly something special. She had been able to challenge the Queen Herself in combat as an equal, and possessed abilities that defied belief; abilities now passed down to the hive's newest drone. That Lilith should submit herself willingly as a host for more of the Queen's progeny was a matter of incredible good fortune!

The Queen was unable to hold back her curiosity.

"Your way of thinking has changed," She said. "What has caused this?" Lilith's eyes returned to the drone that had grown in her chest cavity.

"Him. He's… I just… I could never even have imagined! Does he have a name?"

"I have decided to call him Azazel."

"Azazel? But that's…"

"I have seen into your mind. It is full of many things that are foreign to me; things that come from the humans, as well as from elsewhere. I found this name there, so the name comes from you just as Azazel himself does."

Lilith nodded, and caressed Azazel's dome. He hissed affectionately.

"He's the most wonderful thing I've ever laid eyes on," she said, "and I… I want to make more like him."

"Yes. All of My drones are wonderful, but Azazel is exceptional," said the Queen. "He is the future of My kind, and will sire many eggs upon Me."

At this, Azazel screeched excitedly and slid his dome eagerly along the Queen's body. It appeared that he had inherited his host's considerable libido. Lilith smiled. It was only right that her son should mate with this magnificent creature, and pass their shared genes down to future generations.

"Yes, Azazel, I look forward to that as well," the Queen murmured, "but now is not the time. The hive is under attack. Several of my children have been lost to the humans and their… weapons. The others have cornered the humans deep within this structure. I must decide whether to kill the intruders now, or risk taking them alive to replenish our numbers."

The mention of killing humans startled Lilith out of her reverie.

Intruders? Oh no, the marines that had accompanied her! They must have come in after her when she failed in her mission!

"Wait!" she cried in alarm. The Queen turned Her head toward Lilith, clearly nonplussed by her outburst. Lilith was unsure what to say or do now. She knew that the aliens were killers, of course, and that there was no chance for peace between the two races. The Queen Herself had said as much. But no matter how much she wanted to help breed more drones like Azazel, could Lilith really abandon her human friends to their deaths?

And what of the consequences? If she allowed things to play out as they were, she knew it would end in disaster for the xenomorphs as well as the humans. She might not be able to prevent the bloodshed, but she could perhaps delay it, at least until she could figure out what to do next.

"Listen to me, this is very important," Lilith began. "The humans you have trapped are only a small part of a much larger group. When they don't return, more of them will come."

"Let them come," said the Queen. "The hive needs more hosts."

"You don't understand," said Lilith impatiently. "Ordinary humans, like the ones lined up on the walls outside your chamber? We call those civilians, and for the most part they're easy prey." She shuddered slightly to hear herself say that out loud. "But marines, like the ones your drones are facing right now, are another thing altogether. They're warriors, killers, every bit as much as Your drones. They're well organized, armed with weapons that can kill at a distance, and they have the advantage in numbers.

"Until now, the marines have been holding back because I was supposed to kill You myself. When I don't return, they'll attack in full force, and believe me when I say that they will exterminate each and every one of you." The Queen took a long moment to absorb this information. Perhaps She had underestimated the humans after all.

"What do you propose?" She finally asked.

Lilith considered the possibilities open to them. She looked around the room, thought over the initial parameters of her mission, and considered what she knew. Slowly, an idea began to form.

"First, I'll need to see if I can repair any of those explosives."

"I'm running low on ammo!" Burbank shouted.

"I'm out!" Newhouse answered, looking nervously around.

"Catch!" Taylor threw a fresh clip to each of them. She was unable to fathom the aliens' tactics. Earlier, her team had managed to kill a number of the creatures, and eventually forced them to turn tail. For a while, the marines had made good time on their way through the installation. Then, when they had approached the hallway up ahead, they found themselves under attack once again.

But unlike the first encounter, where the aliens had attacked in full force, they were now behaving in a much more cautious manner. They darted in and out of sight, striking quickly with their teeth and claws, then disappearing into the walls. For the most part, the marines had been able to avoid taking serious injuries. All of them were bleeding, but none of their wounds would be immediately fatal.

Taylor wanted to believe that was a good sign, that all the close combat training had been worth the effort, but she knew better than that. The creatures wanted them alive, to infect with their parasitic young. And although her team had managed to stay in one piece, they had failed to inflict any casualties on the aliens.

"They're wearing us down!" she called. "Fall back!"

As they withdrew from the intersection, Verne got a solid shot off on one of the drones, blowing its head apart in a spray of chitin and acid. Unfortunately, he hadn't accounted for the close proximity, and part of the splash caught him square in the face.

None of the others had ever heard Verne scream before; it was a primal, sonorous roar that shook the halls. And despite all their training and experience in dealing with death and horror, the sound chilled them to the bone.

O'Neil took his place in covering their retreat, while Burbank and Newhouse put his arms over their shoulders, guiding him swiftly away from slashing claws and snapping teeth. O'Neil opened fire on the aliens, and landed two hits on the closest of them, but they only served to enrage the creature. In response, it whipped its tail forward, the scythe-like barb piercing her left thigh.

"Fuck!" she yelled, falling backwards. Olivia grabbed O'Neil by the collar of her fatigues and dragged her backward with one hand, using the other to lay down frantic cover fire.

Then, as quickly as the attack had started, it stopped. The aliens that had been right on top of them were gone. For now, the fighting had ceased.

"What the hell? They had us!" exclaimed Burbank. "It doesn't make sense!" Taylor was uneasy as well. Why hadn't the xenomorphs pressed their advantage?

"What's Verne's condition?" she asked.

"The burns are pretty deep," answered Newhouse. "Right eye's useless. The left one… might be salvageable. I don't know."

"Goddammit," Taylor muttered. "O'Neil, what about you? Hey! O'Neil, are you with me?"

"I'm… I'm okay," O'Neil answered. "Hurt like a bitch before, but now it's gone kinda numb. I don't think I could walk on it though."

"I don't know what's going on," said Burbank, "but those things could attack again at any time. No way we're making it past them in this condition, and we're pretty exposed if we stay put. I say we find a room and barricade ourselves inside."

"For whatever it's worth, I think he's right," said Olivia. "I'm not happy about it, but we're pretty fucked for choices." Taylor nodded.

"Yeah, we need a secure place to tend to the wounded. They're going to need serious medical attention, but we can at least try to get them stabilized in the meantime. Burbank, help Verne walk. Newhouse, keep that flamethrower ready. Olivia, can you carry O'Neil?"

"Affirmative."

"All right. Work backwards and look for a defensible location. I'll keep trying the com and see if I can get a signal past the interference."

Eventually, they found a lab that had reinforced doors and heavy tables to stack against them. Several vents opened into the room, but all of them were too narrow for a xenomorph to fit through, and the walls were reinforced nanosteel.

"If I have to use any more grenades, at least the ceiling should stay put," said Burbank.

"Don't even fucking joke," O'Neil mumbled. She was laid out on one of the tables, thigh wrapped and no longer bleeding.

It had been quiet for some time now. For whatever reason, the aliens had not pursued them. Perhaps when their population dropped below a certain point, they adopted a more defensive posture. If so, their primary objective would be to keep anything from getting near the Queen.

Taylor had briefly been able to get a com signal through the interference. It wasn't strong enough to establish communication, but with any luck base camp should at least have their location. She sighed and looked over at Taylor.

"How is it?"

"Feeling's starting to come back. I wish it wasn't," O'Neil answered. Meanwhile, Newhouse was shining a pen light into Verne's left eye.

"You see anything?" he asked.

"Nope," said Verne.

"Well, I'm not sure but I think I'm seeing some pupil contraction. So it's at least trying to work. I think. Fuck." Newhouse put the light away and stood up. "Where's our goddamn backup anyway?"

"Relax, they'll be here," said Taylor. "Could be a lot worse, you know. The aliens could be pounding on that door right now."

"You did not just fucking say that!" moaned O'Neil.

"Superstitious much?"

Just as Taylor started to chuckle, the room was shaken by an explosion, followed by a quick chain of four others. Those who were able stood and readied their weapons.

"I… think that came from the Queen's chamber," said Olivia.

"What was that? Artillery?" Burbank asked.

"Don't know," said Taylor. "Didn't sound like it, but I can't be sure."

"Should we send someone to go take a look?" asked Newhouse.

"Did you just volunteer?" Taylor responded.

"Right. Help me move these tables."

Together they pulled the tables back into the room, then opened the doors just far enough to look through. Newhouse stuck his head through the space between them, along with his flashlight.

"Do you see anything?" asked Olivia.

"Not yet," Newhouse answered. "Wait. Something's moving."

"What do you mean by 'something'?" Taylor demanded.

"Well, Sarge, it's dark. And there's a lot of smoke from the explosion. Hang on, it's…" he paused. "Well now that's kinda different."

"Out of the way," Taylor said, pushing past him. A figure was coming toward them through the smoke, holding something over its head.

"Don't shoot, it's me!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

That voice... but how was that possible? Olivia ran into the hall.

"Lilith, you're alive!" she exclaimed. "And… naked."

Aside from some sticky bits of resin and a film of soot, her friend was indeed without covering of any kind, a state all the more noticeable in her human form.

"Yeah, that outfit just wasn't working for me," Lilith said. "It had that big hole in the front of the shirt."

"But how? I… I saw you, lying there. Fuck! I don't know what I would have done without you. Is that...?" Olivia finally registered what Lilith was carrying.

"All that's left of the Queen." Lilith dropped the arm on the ground in front of her.

"Well, I would call that some seriously outstanding work," said Taylor.

"I'll second that," said Burbank, joining them in the hall. "Also, wow," he added, looking Lilith up and down.

"Nice legs," Lilith commented, returning Burbank's inspection.

"Would you two like some time alone?" Taylor asked. Lilith nodded.

"She wasn't being serious," Olivia explained quietly.

"Hey, what's going on out there? I mean, you all want to have a meeting out in the hall, that's great, but not all of us can make it."

"Sorry, O'Neil," said Taylor. She looked at Lilith and sighed. "We've had some injuries. Verne and O'Neil." Lilith pushed her way past the doors, looking queasy. She saw O'Neil first, her thigh wrapped in bloody bandages.

"Oh no! Your poor leg…" She looked to Olivia. "Is she going to be okay?"

"It may take some time, but she'll probably make a full recovery." Olivia replied. "Gonna leave one hell of a scar, but marines like to collect those. It'll give her something to show off. Verne on the other hand…"

Lilith turned and gasped.

"No! It's all my fault… all of it!" She fell to her knees at his side, crying.

"Don't do that," Verne said. "Shit like this is part of the job. Couple of robot eyes and I'll be good as new." Lilith wiped her eyes.

"R… really?" she asked.

"I know we look pretty messed up, and we don't heal like you," said O'Neil, "but don't count us out just yet." Despite their reassurances, Lilith still seemed despondent.

"She's right," said Burbank. "Don't forget, we're marines after all."

"Burbank, could you please stop gawking at Lilith?" groaned Taylor. "It's embarrassing!"

"I don't mind!" said Lilith.

"It's not about you, it's about him."

"What the hell, Sarge?" Burbank protested. "Why am I the one getting singled out?"

"No pants, remember? We can all see your hard-on. Beyond that, well… Verne's blind right now, and as for me and O'Neil, we've got the same stuff she does."

"Speak for yourself," O'Neil grumbled, "I only wish I had her boobs." Lilith seemed intrigued by the discussion.

"In that case, what about Newhouse?" she asked.

"Believe me, he doesn't care," Taylor responded. Lilith tilted her head, confused.

"It's my ass he's staring at, not yours," Burbank offered.

"Hey, I am not!" said Newhouse. "Just because… Okay, fine. I am. " Understanding registered on Lilith's face.

"You mean he's…"

"Gay as a blade," said Taylor. Lilith looked Newhouse over, studying him carefully.

"I've… read about that, but I don't really understand how it works," she said. A thought seemed to occur to her, and she looked toward Olivia.

"Listen," Newhouse interrupted, "I'm glad to see you're… not dead anymore, and all that. But can you maybe tell us what the fuck actually happened out there?"

"He's right," said Olivia. "I think all of us could use an explanation." Lilith nodded.

"Well, I was following the plan we talked about, but I ran into some problems along the way. I made it all the way to the Queen's chamber, when I noticed that the xenomorphs were ripping apart the demolition charges. I guess they must have figured out what they were for."

"Yeah, we saw that they looked a bit chewed up," said Olivia.

"Anyway, after that the drones were on top of me. They pinned me down long enough for one of those facehuggers to get at me and, well, you all know how that one ends." She shuddered. "But it seems Reggie did a better job making me than I realized, because after Az… I mean, after the little alien broke out of me… well, I got better. The aliens weren't expecting that any more than I was, and they must have all been busy out here when I came to.

"There were a few explosives they hadn't managed to destroy completely, so I got them together and rigged them right under the Queen. Then She spotted me and called the drones back for help, but it was too late. They got there just in time to get them blown up right along with Her." Lilith paused. "So I guess I completed the mission; it just took a bit longer than I thought it would."

For a while no one said anything.

"That's… a pretty unbelievable story!" Taylor said. Lilith's face fell.

"You don't believe me?" she asked plaintively.

"Calm down, Lil, she believes you," said Olivia. "She just means that you're amazing. And you are. You did a good job." She wrapped her arms around Lilith, who hesitantly returned the embrace. "Now, let's get out of here. We've got a report to make."

"You go ahead," said Lilith. "Get everyone back to the camp and get those injuries treated. I'm going to go make sure I got all of them."

"We can send the marines in for cleanup," Olivia demurred. "You should come back with us. After all, you're the one who was there, so they're going to want to debrief you personally."

"This is my mission," Lilith insisted. "The whole point of me coming here was so that no one else had to get hurt." Her eyes darted guiltily to Verne and O'Neil, and for a moment she looked like she was going to cry.

"Hey, shh. What happened wasn't your fault," said Olivia. "I'm really very proud of you."

"Olivia's right," Taylor said. "You should get back to camp, make a report, and come back with reinforcements."

"They could be scattering right now," Lilith insisted. She thought for a moment. "Listen, you already have a perimeter set up around the sector. If you want to help, tell them to move it in and surround this building." Taylor considered the suggestion.

"All right. I'll do that."

"Oh, and I could use some new guns. In all the excitement I kind of lost mine. Sorry."

"At least let me go with you," Olivia said.

"No!" said Lilith in alarm. "I mean, they can't hurt me. You've always been the one watching out for me, and now it's my turn. I… don't want anything to happen to you." Olivia sighed.

"All right," she finally said. "But be careful. I know it seems like you're invincible, but be careful anyway. For me." Lilith smiled back sadly.

"I… I will," she said, looking over her shoulder as she headed back into the darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Getting the Queen through the maintenance tunnels had seemed like an impossible task; there was no way that She would fit through the stairwells. But then Lilith discovered that, with a bit of effort, the floor sections of the storage area could be removed, providing direct access to the substructure.

The drones had already memorized the layout of the underground network, and were quickly able to find a secondary site for the Queen to lay her eggs. It would be a tighter fit than the storage room had been, so it was fortunate that xenomorphs were not claustrophobic.

Lilith had urged Azazel not to mate with the Queen until they were sure their plan had worked. It was necessary that She be ready to move, and move quickly, at a moment's notice, in case it had not. The Queen had already been mated, and would be growing Her egg sack soon enough. But knowing what she did about the biology her son had inherited from her, Lilith had no doubt that his sperm would accelerate the process from 'soon' to 'immediately', leaving the Queen anchored helplessly in place and producing a continuous succession of eggs.

Azazel knew that now was not the time to begin breeding the Queen. He understood the reasons, and accepted them, but was nonetheless having a difficult time restraining himself. From the moment he had matured, his single greatest desire, his most powerful overriding instinct, had been to plunge his throbbing shaft into the Queen's waiting passage, to complete Her, to fill her with his seed.

To make things even harder, The Queen wanted Azazel inside Her every bit as much as he did himself, and was releasing large quantities of pheromones indicating Her receptivity. Azazel's ribbed shaft was impossibly engorged, and leaking a continuous stream of clear fluid. He could feel his mind slipping away in a haze of desire.

All of the Queen's drones loved and worshipped her, as was proper, and they all responded eagerly to Her arousal. But Azazel's lust was on an entirely different level; it was a burning, overwhelming need, and the Queen marveled at its ferocity.

"I cannot allow you to impregnate me yet," She murmured to her drone, "but perhaps I can relieve the urgency of your desire."

"I… don't understand," said Azazel, "but I will do anything You wish, of course!" The Queen lifted him into the air with Her two smaller arms, and brought him face to face with Her, grinning.

"I know you will," She said, "but this is for you, My favored drone."

She opened Her mouth, hissing seductively, and Azazel opened his own mouth in turn. They locked their teeth together, their copious saliva allowing the unyielding surfaces to glide gracefully against one another. He turned his head to catch Her drool on his face, basking in its deliciously warm wetness. To be the sole focus of his Queen's attention for even the briefest of moments was bliss itself. But no matter how thrilling Her touch, it served only to inflame his desire further.

"My Queen!" Azazel hissed desperately.

She touched the front of Her face to his dome, and slowly nuzzled Her way down his body, teasing the tightly coiled cables of his neck, the crenels between his ribs, the intricate patterns adorning his abdomen. Finally She reached Her destination: the massive, pulsing organ between his legs.

She spread the teeth of her inner maw, taking the head of Azazel's twitching cock into the space between them, causing him to screech out in surprise and exhilaration. She began to extend, then retract, her secondary mouth, the hard, slick tunnel slurping wetly over the ridges of his inflamed shaft. Azazel gripped the sides of Her crest with both arms, pumping himself in and out of his Queen's mouth in tandem with Her own ministrations, legs kicking in the air below.

She found his enthusiasm delightful, and the lubricating nectar that streamed from the tip of his cock delicious. The hand of Her remaining primary arm sought out and and caressed the entrance to Her yearning passage, before delving inside, the hard chitin sliding between her sensitive inner walls. The Queen hissed Her desire, the whispering vibrations further stimulating Azazel's cock. He hissed back raggedly in response, tail whipping about behind him, and She could feel his urgent desire building to its peak.

Finally, his legs went taut, and he screeched joyously as he spurted repeatedly into his Queen's mouth, a flood of jism and saliva spilling out around Her teeth. Azazel basked in the moment, delighting in both the thrill of his own release and the love of his Queen.

"Mmm, delicious," She said, swallowing as much of his plentiful semen as she was able. "Your taste is pleasing to Me, My Azazel. But now My own needs must be satisfied." She released him from her grip, and withdrew Her hand from Her quivering wet canal.

No further instruction was necessary; Azazel immediately pressed his face to the flared opening between Her legs. Never had the Queen been so excited as She was at this moment, and the sensation surprised Her with its intensity. She hissed approvingly, all three hands on Azazel now as She buried his face encouragingly into Her cleft. He slowly but insistently continued to press up against the swollen lips, until his face penetrated through to the slippery tunnel beyond.

The Queen, already at the limit of her arousal, climaxed instantly. Her canal constricted tightly around Azazel's face, drenching it with pheromone-laden secretions. Azazel was intoxicated by the scent and taste; his cock, which had never entirely retracted, was again fully erect. But his own desire was secondary. Though his Queen had already reached orgasm once, She had given him no instruction to stop, and he would happily bring Her to peak after peak for as long as She desired.

He turned his face in all directions, sliding forward and back to stimulate as much of Her passage as possible. Stretching and caressing her inner walls, taking note of Her responses, learning all Her most sensitive areas. Azazel felt blessed by his Queen to have this opportunity to pleasure her, to express his devotion in such an intimate manner. Beyond this constricting furrow, he knew, lay Her womb; the all-important source and center of the hive's existence. Soon his eager cock would fill this magnificent tunnel of flesh, and flood that womb with his cum, inseminating the Queen with his potent sperm.

Reading Azazel's thoughts brought the Queen over the edge a second time. She screeched out in both ecstasy and anticipation, Her legs closing tightly around Her drone's body. Yes, soon. Soon she would be laying Her eggs once again, laying them by the thousands. Then it was only a matter of finding hosts…


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Safely out of sight, Lilith leaned against the wall and exhaled slowly, waiting for her heart rate to slow. Her mouth was dry, and she could feel the anxiety like a knot in her gut. Artifacts of her human side, she told herself. She had no more use for guilt or fear. The marines bought her story, and even Olivia hadn't suspected that anything was amiss. Olivia…

She had half hoped that her friend would catch her out in her lies, would put a stop to Lilith's plan before it could go any further. Even now she could turn back, could tell the marines where to find the Queen. She could say that the aliens had threatened or blackmailed her. How long did Stockholm Syndrome take to develop?

No! She had already chosen sides. It was obvious that humans and xenomorphs could not coexist as equals, and she had chosen to ally herself with the superior species.

"What means superior?"

Startled, Lilith looked up. One of the drones had approached her while she was lost in her thoughts. Another was looking on from a small distance behind. How long had they been watching her?

"Superior?" Lilith repeated. She considered that for a moment. "Well, uh… I guess it means having better qualities. You're stronger, faster, more agile. Your teeth are harder and sharper. Your chitin is much better protection than human skin, and nicer to look at. Or at least it is to me. You can function in the dark. You're better at surviving, better at… killing."

She paused at that last one, faced with the stark reality of it. But that was really what it came down to, wasn't it? Survival of the fittest, of the most deadly. Xenomorphs were perfect predators, destined to dominate all other life. True, technology gave humans the advantage, but without it they were weak. The power of the xenomorphs was born into them. They existed solely to survive, kill, and reproduce, no matter the circumstances. They would take every other species as hosts or as prey.

She was surprised just how wet that thought made her. The drone was looking at her curiously, and she realized she had trailed off. Knowing the creatures could read her mind, she wondered just how much of what she had been thinking the drone had picked up on.

"Ahra'shor understand superior now," he said. "Superior is same how Queen chooses mate. Better qualities, just as Rri'risss say." Something seemed to occur to him. "Rri'risss chooses mate better qualities also?"

"Huh? Well… I suppose so, now that you mention it." Ahra'shor grinned, slowly approaching her.

"Rri'risss say xenomorph qualities better." His cock began to extend from its sheath, first growing and descending, then tilting upward. "Rri'risss likes Ahra'shor qualities? Rri'risss chooses mate Ahra'shor?"

Fuck yes.

She jumped onto Ahra'shor, throwing her arms and legs around him, desperately kissing and licking his dome and the webbing on the side of his face. The thin layer of glossy secretions that covered him were salty and slightly sweet on her tongue, and their taste and texture sent a shiver down her spine.

"Lilith chooses mate Ahra'shor," she echoed in agreement. Reaching down, she grabbed hold of his substantial cock and rubbed it along the lips of her ravenous and frustrated pussy. This was it, finally! What she had yearned for through all of her short life, desperately and above all else. She placed the tip of the drone's cock firmly against her slick entrance and pressed herself toward him.

Lilith had known how large the organ was, had seen it with her own eyes. She estimated it at just over thirty centimeters in length, and close to eight centimeters across. By human standards that was enormous. But then, human males had not evolved to mate with a xenomorph Queen, and judging by the size of the eggs She laid, the Queen's vaginal canal must be quite expansive. Certainly more so than Lilith's, and she worried for a moment that she wouldn't be able to fit him inside her.

But she wasn't about to give up so easily. She focused on relaxing her internal muscles as much as possible, even as she wrapped her legs more tightly around Ahra'shor. Eventually, the head of his cock pushed past her lips and into the tight confines of her pussy. A bit more effort, and she began to slide down his length, moaning as each of the ridges on his shaft slipped inside her. Finally, she had enveloped him completely, her labia pressing snugly against the chitin of his pelvis.

Lilith took a moment simply to marvel at the sensation of being filled so completely. It was more intense than anything she had ever imagined; slightly painful, but absolutely delicious. The drone waited patiently as Lilith became accustomed to his size. As vicious as the xenomorphs were, she decided, they could be quite considerate as lovers. That made a certain amount of sense. After all, the drones normally only mated with their Queen, their object of unequivocal worship.

The Queen! A sudden, worrying thought occurred to Lilith.

"Ahra'shor, I… the Queen would not object to… us… together?" The drone seemed confused by the question.

"Why Queen would object?"

"Well… She might worry that I would take you away from her." The idea seemed to amuse him.

"Ahra'shor Queen's drone. Ahra'shor stay always Queen's drone." Lilith understood immediately. These beautiful creatures had no need for such an ugly emotion as jealousy. The drones' dedication to their Queen was absolute, and the very notion of acting against Her wishes was entirely foreign to them. Lilith placed a gentle kiss on Ahra'shor's dome.

"Of course you will," she said, smiling.

Able now to keep him inside her comfortably, Lilith used her hold on the drone's body to slide forward and back along his cock. The ridges along its length made her feel as though she were being penetrated dozens of times at once, and she screamed out in delighted surprise. Ahra'shor grinned.

"Ahra'shor penis make Rri'risss feel is happy?"

"Very, very happy," sighed Lilith. "Now push me up against that wall over there, and ram that thing into me!"

Ahra'shor was more than happy to oblige. His instinctive mating behaviors were geared toward a much larger partner, specifically a Queen, and he was still working out some of the logistics of sex with someone smaller than himself. He had some ideas, but for now was happy to follow Lilith's instructions. Once he had her pinned against the wall, he had the leverage he needed to penetrate her properly.

"Harder," Lilith urged. "Don't worry, you're not going to hurt me. Well… maybe a little, but nothing I can't handle."

Encouraged by her words, he increased the strength and tempo of his thrusts.

"Oh, fuck, yes! Just like that!" Her words came out in staccato, matched to the timing of her lover's movements. She spread her legs wide, gripping the drone tightly with her arms, breasts mashed against his ribs.

The fleshy mounds pressed tightly against him intrigued Ahra'shor; they were so unlike anything his own kind possessed. Indeed, Lilith was soft and smooth all over, at least in her human form. She herself had stated that chitin was better, and of course by any practical standards it obviously was. Even so, there was something about her supple, yielding flesh that he was drawn to. Perhaps that was something he had inherited from his host, or maybe it was simply the intriguing contrast between her body and his own.

"Rri'risss squishy," he observed. She laughed.

"And Ahra'shor is hard… mmm."

Ahra'shor… she suddenly realized she had heard that name before, when she was being plastered to the hive wall.

"I remember you now!" she exclaimed. "You helped to cocoon me, back when the facehugger was… doing its thing."

"Yes. Facehugger lucky have as host Rri'risss."

"Oh really now? Did you get excited watching it happen?" she teased. "Seeing it slide that ovipositor down my poor, helpless throat?" She felt his cock jump inside her.

"Ahra'shor feel was excited," he readily admitted.

"I was excited too. Not from the facehugger," she clarified. "I was actually pretty freaked out about that part. But the part where you and the other drones were all pressed up against me, covering me with sticky resin… that felt really good."

She looked into his face, where his eyes would be if he had them. "You've wanted me since then, haven't you? I could hear you talking to that other drone." Ahra'shor stopped thrusting for a moment as he considered that.

"Rri'risss make Ahra'shor feel was feel Ahra'shor not know." So he hadn't been able to make sense of what he was feeling at the time. Lilith could relate; it had been the same for her when she saw her first images of the alien creatures.

Her eyes fell on the other drone she had noticed before, still looking on from the darkness. He was the one Ahra'shor had talked to about her, she was sure of it. What was his name again?

"Hey you, watching us! It's Hrasss'yah, isn't it? I know you're interested too. Come over here and help your friend." The other drone approached cautiously.

Lilith looked to Ahra'shor. "Now, you get down on the floor," she said.

Ahra'shor disengaged from Lilith reluctantly. She helped him find a position as close to lying on his back as possible. His dorsal tubes were flexible enough to splay outward, supporting his weight while leaving clearance for his head. Satisfied, she climbed astride him, and beckoned to Hrass'yah.

"It seems Ahra'shor here likes to watch me get my face fucked. Why don't we pretend you're a facehugger and I'm you're host?" Lilith opened her mouth invitingly. She didn't know if she could actually fit the drone's cock down her throat, but she was sure as hell going to try.

Hrasss'yah was eager to try as well, his desire finally overcoming any misgivings. He stood over his hivemate on the floor, and held his chitinous rod in front of Lilith's face.

Lilith hesitated. Seeing it this close, she realized there was no way it was going to fit, but she was going to at least make the attempt. She took the organ in her hand and licked it all over, coating it liberally with her saliva, getting it as slippery as possible. Then she he placed her open lips at its crown and opened her mouth as far as she could. She was able to get most of the head inside before her teeth pressed firmly against the corona and underside of the shaft.

She certainly didn't want to risk breaking the skin. Setting aside for a moment the discomfort to Hrasss'yah, there was the matter of the acidic blood coursing fiercely through his cock, contained only by a thin layer of chitin.

Grabbing hold of her lower jaw by the teeth, she was able to force it further open by scant millimeters, but it was just enough for the glans to slip past her teeth. Unfortunately, that was as far as she could take it. Disappointed, she was about to admit defeat, when another thought came to her.

Lilith shifted to her transformed state, and was instantly able to open her mouth further. Hrasss'yah hissed in surprise as his cock slid forward, pressing up against the back of her throat.

"If you like that, I can do one better," said Lilith mentally. She dislocated her jaw, allowing his shaft to pass into her gullet. "I should have done this in the first place."

"Rri'risss superior of humans," Ahra'shor agreed. "Rri'risss qualities make Ahra'shor feel is happy."

"Aw, you big sweetheart!"

Ahra'shor grinned. He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but her approval was clear.

Having comfortably accommodated both of the drones, Lilith began to work her hips up and down, head bobbing forward and back along Hrasss'yah's cock. It was a simple mechanical motion, but felt so perfect, so right. The drones quickly picked up on her rhythm; Ahra'shor began to match her thrusts from below, while Hrasss'yah took her head in both hands and worked her head up and down his length.

"Now that… really does feel like a facehugger…" Lilith exclaimed.

There were some slight differences, of course. While the facehugger had done her breathing for her, it was now up to Lilith to fight for every gasp of air that she could. And of course, Hrasss'yah's cock was much larger than a facehugger's ovipositor; even in her transformed state it was not easy to take fully into her throat. The discomfort was more than worth it, though, to be able to take two of these lovely monsters at once.

She could sense that Ahra'shor was getting close now, building toward his climax. His thrusts had become more urgent, his hissing more frenzied. The thought of being filled with his cum, of feeling it splash inside her, redoubled her arousal. She allowed Hrasss'yah's cock to slip from her mouth, focused now solely on the drone pinned beneath her.

"Give it to me!" Lilith demanded in a husky voice. She grabbed hold of his ribs, using them as purchase while she ground against him feverishly. "Fill me up, I want it! I need it!"

Ahra'shor could do nothing but comply, screeching out as he lifted her into the air with his hips. She felt his cock jerking violently inside her as it spurted repeatedly, depositing a generous helping of cum into her womb.

Suddenly, Lilith could feel an irrepressible force welling up within her. Her pussy was contracting with a will of its own, pulling in all directions at once, radiating heat and an aching, almost painful, pleasure to all corners of her body. The tension continued to build, overwhelming in its urgency, until she felt she could no longer contain it.

Then a sensation of free fall. Lilith's body was wracked with spasms, and all thoughts were displaced from her head by a flood of perfect bliss. Her nipples shot forth, twin crowns of prehensile tentacles that coiled possessively around her lover. Her throbbing pussy overflowed with their combined fluids, and she shrieked out in rapture; the primal, wordless scream conveying her current state far better than words ever could. Wave after wave of wonderful, overpowering sensation washed over her.

Finally, with the exception of the occasional trembling aftershock, it was over. She felt invigorated, more alert and aware than ever before. Unstoppable.

So that was an orgasm, she thought. Humans were clearly insane to focus their efforts on anything else.

Lilith looked down at Ahra'shor, who seemed impressed and slightly intimidated by the intensity of her climax. She took his face in her hands reassuringly, and ran her tongue lovingly over his lips and teeth.

"That. That was… wow!" she declared. Ahra'shor grinned, and nuzzled her neck.

Despite his obvious affection, she could feel him starting to slip out of her and retract into his sheath. Lilith frowned. It couldn't be over yet; she was just getting started! Then, hearing a low hiss, she looked up to find herself staring directly into the quite erect penis of Hrasss'yah. She rolled off of the spent drone beneath her and reached for it eagerly.


End file.
